The Burdekin Regional Water Assessment area includes southern parts of the Tablelands Regional Council down to eastern parts of the Barcaldine Regional Council. This area incorporates the Burdekin and Whitsunday local government areas and large parts of the Charters Towers, Townsville and Isaac local government areas.
The Burdekin region’s economic prosperity is strongly linked to the agricultural industry, particularly sugarcane production and processing. The region is one of Australia’s largest sugarcane growing areas. Water supplies from the region support horticultural, aquaculture and manufacturing industries, as well as significant mining operations in adjacent regions.
The Burdekin River forms one of the largest catchments flowing to the Great Barrier Reef and has an important role in the reef's water quality.
Agriculture in the Burdekin needs around 874,000 megalitres (ML) per annum. This estimate is based on the demand for water if it was not influenced by the water source of water supply. This is called unconstrained demand. The cost of water will impact the growth in the agriculture sector, and the types of crops that are grown. By 2053, agricultural water demand is estimated to increase by between 4% and 40%.
Industrial and commercial water demand in the region is estimated to be 2,300 ML per annum. Growth in this demand is primarily driven by industrial water demands connected to Abbot Point and Townsville. Importantly, these water users typically have a high capacity to pay for water.
The region's residential water demands are estimated to change in line with population growth. Estimated increases in urban demand is largely due to significant growth in Townsville.
