Informal, drop-in community information sessions will be held in 2025. Please check this webpage for updated information.

 Updates will be available during dam construction.

The team will be working Mondays to Saturdays, 6am to 6pm.

Affected residents will be notified before the start of construction and if any work needs to be conducted outside of these hours. 

The community may experience some temporary disruptions, including dust, lighting from machinery or vehicles, noise and increased traffic or changed traffic conditions on local roads. 

Where possible, the team will work to minimise disruptions and will communicate regularly about the progress of the project.

Full security measures will be in place on site, including CCTV cameras.

To transport materials safely and efficiently to the dam, we are improving some sections of Kipper Creek Road and Cressbrook Creek Road, Biarra, in the Somerset region, that will be used by heavy vehicles during the construction phase.

We are also upgrading identified creek crossings to prepare for any dam water releases that may be needed for constructing this project.

We will advise local landholders and the community about the timeframe for improving sections of these local roads shortly.

The campground, boat ramps and walking trails are expected to remain open and recreational activities such as boating and fishing will continue. Restricted boat access to the spillway area is likely during construction. The community will be advised of any other temporary disruptions to recreational activities at the dam.

Council is ensuring the project does not adversely affect water supply or quality.

Before construction, water will be drawn from the dam approximately 1000m away from the construction area. This water will be pumped to the Mt Kynoch Water Treatment Plant to ensure that Council consistently provides high quality drinking water to the Region.

To safely construct this project, the team needs access to parts of the dam currently underwater. If needed, water will be released gradually over a four-to-five-month period. This period may be extended if higher than expected rainfall occurs during this time.

Releasing water in a controlled way enables the process to be managed safely and effectively. Detailed planning has been undertaken to minimise the time needed for the dam to be at a lower water level.

Temporarily lowering the water level will not affect access to water for the Region’s residents connected to the bulk water supply network. For more information see TRC changes management of water network to lower Cressbrook Dam.

The improvements include widening the spillway and raising the dam crest level to enable it to perform safely and protect downstream communities during major flooding events. These improvements also follow the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water’s "As Low As Reasonably Practicable" (ALARP) principle of acceptable flood capacity modelling. The ALARP modelling involved working with key stakeholders, the Dam Safety Regulator, a technical review panel, and members of the community.

Improving Cressbrook Dam also provides better dam monitoring and greater quality data inputs and controls to help downstream water operators manage Somerset and Wivenhoe dams.

This project is the largest dam safety improvement undertaken by a Queensland local government to date and is expected to cost approximately $270 million.

Council has budgeted $270 million for 2023/24 – 2025/26 and is currently seeking external funding to meet the total project cost. A business case requesting Queensland Government project funding was submitted in July 2024.

Cressbrook Dam is located about 40 kilometres north-east of Toowoomba’s CBD and is positioned upstream of Cressbrook Creek and the communities of Biarra and Toogoolawah. 

View in Google Maps. 

Designed by Farr Evrat & Associates from the early 1970s to 1980, and constructed from 1981 to 1983, the structure is a central core zoned earth-fill embankment with a concrete-lined spillway and chute on the left abutment. The dam first reached full supply level in May 1989.

• The total catchment area of 320 km² (including Perseverance Dam).
• The maximum available storage = 81,842 ML.
• Full water supply useable capacity = 78,847 ML.
• The approximate average evaporation = 5.4 mm/day.
• The Wivenhoe Dam pipeline is used when Cressbrook Dam’s useable capacity falls below 40 per cent.
• There is an Emergency Action Plan for Cressbrook Dam available on the Queensland Government Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water website.
• The improvements to Cressbrook Dam will help safely manage extreme flooding events that may arise as a one in a 470,000-year event*. The dam was first built to manage a one in 8000-year flood event. 
  * includes known impacts of climate change

Council encourages local businesses interested in supplying to the project to register an expression of interest through the project's ICN Gateway webpage. For all other procurement or labour hire enquiries, please email cressbrooksafetyimprovement@tr.qld.gov.au or call 131 872.