Mary Basin general reserve

Current status

We are reviewing all expressions of interest (EOI) received. The department is using this information in conjunction with the water plan requirements to determine the best way for the unallocated water (UAW) to be released within the catchment.

Next steps

The EOI process demonstrated a clear demand for UAW surface water from the Mary Basin water plan area.

We will continue to engage with those who submitted expressions of interest, community members and other key stakeholders to keep them informed when and how unallocated water is made available.

You can still submit your interest at any time and make an application for new water should it be released.

  • A call for EOIs in the General Reserve unallocated water (UAW) from the water plan (Mary Basin) 2024 area ran for 8 weeks from 2 July 2025.

    The general unallocated water reserves consist of 2,360ML of surface water across all management areas and 40ML of groundwater from the Cooloola Sandmass underground water management area.

    The EOI process showed that there is a strong interest in the available unallocated water reserves.

    Here’s what we learned:

    • We received 36 submissions, with cumulative unallocated water demand ranging from 3,500ML to 5,482ML.
    • This significant demand for surface water clearly exceeds the available reserve and highlights that there will be strong competition for any release of UAW.
    • Primary demand for use of the unallocated water included:
      • fodder 58%
      • horticulture 35%
      • commercial 5%
      • dairying 2%.
    • The demand for surface water was across most sub-catchments in the Mary and Maroochy catchments.
    • There was no demand for underground water in the Cooloola Sandmass.

  • To ensure transparency and awareness of the EOI process, the department undertook a wide range of consultation including:

    • email notification to water entitlement holders and previous EOI participants
    • information on this webpage
    • advertisements promoting the EOI process were placed in online newspapers, within the Mary Basin plan area
    • three information sessions were held in Nambour, Gympie, and Maryborough to directly engage with stakeholders
    • general enquiries were addressed via phone and email to provide clarity and support for interested participants.

Enquiries

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