Northern Rivers residents now have more time to comment on the proposed Future Water Project 2060 after Rous County Council today extended its public exhibition period. 

Public submissions on the proposed Future Water Project 2060 will be accepted until Wednesday 9 September 2020 – giving the community an extra 28 days on top of the current six-week exhibition period. 

“We’ve always appreciated how important the issue of water security is for our community as well as the level of interest a new Dunoon Dam would generate,” Rous County Council’s Chairperson Keith Williams said. 

“During these challenging times caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we must ensure residents are provided ample opportunity to better understand the viability of various new water source options that were investigated. 

“The response so far has been pleasing and we hope an additional four weeks will allow more residents to let us know their views on the future water project’s preferred option,” Councillor Williams said. 

Due to ongoing COVID-19 precautions, Rous County Council is continuing to conduct the proposed project’s public exhibition mainly via online platforms. 

The 28-day extension means Rous County Councillors will now consider a report on the public exhibition period’s outcomes at their meeting scheduled for December 2020. 

Rous County Council’s General Manager Phillip Rudd encouraged residents to use the extra time to take a virtual tour of the region’s proposed water supply system. 

“Our online 3D water catchment model is a unique way for the community to engage with key aspects of the future water project including the proposed Dunoon Dam’s location, use of groundwater aquifers and significant issues with desalination and recycled water,,” Mr Rudd said. 

“We’ve invested in this cutting-edge technology developed by the Queensland University of Technology to make sure our residents have better access to the information they need."

Rous County Council’s virtual drinking water supply catchment tool can be viewed here. 

It can also be accessed by visiting the dedicated Future Water Project 2060 webpage – where the community will find various other information resources as well as details about how to provide feedback via one of the available submission methods. 

In Neil Marks' weekly Blog tomorrow, he discusses the new Dunoon dam following a council briefing on Tuesday night.