22nd November 2018
The completion of a state of the art reservoir has secured water for Port Douglas for the next 100 years.
The multimillion dollar project was funded through the Federal and State Government and the Douglas Shire Council.
The reservoir can hold over 20- megalitres of water and is the largest of its kind in the area.
Cameron Dick, Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning stated that the infrastructure will be extremely beneficial to the local community as well as tourists.
"The new reservoir will provide a safe and reliable water supply for the 4500 locals and 1.2 million tourists who spend an estimated $400 million in the region each year," Mr Dick said.
"It will also provide increased disaster resilience in the event of power loss, while reducing the need for water restrictions," he said.
Representatives from the Port Douglas council met last week to formally declare the project complete.
Federal Member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch has praised the Douglas Shire Council for their efforts to benefit the public.
"Douglas Shire needs all the accolades because we can rattle the change draw in State and Federal government to find significant dollars but its bloody hard for a small shire," Mr Entsch said.
The reservoir is believed to be able to sustainably support the growing population for the future, which will provide water to the Port Douglas region for the next 100 years.
Member for Mulgrave and speaker of the Queensland Legislative assembly, Curtis Pitt has praised the project and its dedication to creating a sustainable future.
"Most importantly, the reservoir provides water security which is increasingly one of the most important issues for all communities,"Mr Mulgrave said.
"There is nothing sexy about water infrastructure, but this is a good outcome," he said.
