Moreton water plan

The process to review and replace the Water Plan (Moreton) 2007 is underway. We need to develop a replacement water plan that addresses current and emerging issues within the water plan area (PDF, 1.3MB).

About the water plan area

The Moreton water plan area covers more than 15,000 square kilometres and encompasses the largest urban area within Queensland.

The plan area includes the catchments of the Brisbane, Pine and Caboolture Rivers as well as Cabbage Tree and Pumicestone Creeks.

It features several large water storages including Somerset, Wivenhoe and North Pine dams. There are seven water supply schemes that supply water for irrigation and urban and industrial purposes.

The Moreton water plan currently manages water in a watercourse, lake or spring, overland flow water, and groundwater in three groundwater management areas.

Preliminary public consultation

Submissions on the preliminary public consultation notice (PDF, 255.6KB) closed on 2 February 2024.

We will consider all submissions as we develop the replacement Moreton water plan.

There will be further opportunities for local stakeholders and the community to have their say on the development of the replacement water plan.

Engagement with stakeholders

Early and ongoing engagement is a critical component in the review and development of a replacement water plan. We are engaging with people to help the community understand the water plan development process, discuss issues and opportunities, and ultimately improve the plan itself.

Engagement provides the opportunity to draw on people’s collective knowledge, and to build collaborative support and involvement in the water planning process. We believe that through active, genuine and cooperative engagement we will achieve a sustainable water plan for the Moreton region.

A targeted engagement strategy is being used by the department during development of the replacement water plan. This includes engagement with Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders which is crucial to improved understanding of current and emerging cultural water needs in the plan area.

Our engagement strategy aims to:

enable more detailed, focused and efficient discussion of matters that were identified during consultation with relevant stakeholder groups
provide a safe and constructive environment for collaborative stakeholder involvement.

A variety of engagement activities and communication tools will be used during the development of the replacement water plan, for example:

individual meetings with stakeholder groups and communities
on country meetings with Traditional Owners and First Nations peoples
meetings during the draft water plan public consultation and submission phase
presentations at peak industry water engagement forums
website and social media communication
publication of technical and research reports and supporting information.

Further information

If you need any further information or wish to discuss the Moreton water plan with someone from the department, please contact us via email MoretonWP@rdmw.qld.gov.au.