Article: Tanks roll in to drought-stricken town

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Phill Frew and Peter Bonnie in front of two tanks as they are being filled with water which will then be sent to Cloncurry for human consumption.
Photo: Dean Saffron
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/ffximage/2008/10/29/470water3_wideweb__470x267,0.jpg

Tanks roll in to drought-stricken town

Tanks roll in to drought-stricken town
Troy Rowling | October 29, 2008 - 11:58AM

The cavalry has arrived in the drought-ravaged Queensland town of Cloncurry, where dwindling supplies have forced authorities to haul in water by train.

Two tankers, with a total carrying capacity of 70,500 litres will be railed in everyday, with more tankers to follow.

Queensland Rail announced plans in August to rail water tankers into Cloncurry until late December at a cost of about $400,000 a month.

After weeks of preparations and tests, two water tankers carrying 45,500 and 25,000 litres arrived yesterday and was unloaded at a rate of about 60 litres a second.

Cloncurry Water Treatment Plant Manager Scott Cosgrove said the four available QR tankers would be railed into the town on a 24 hour rotational basis two tankers would be emptied in Cloncurry while the other tankers were being refilled in Mount Isa.

He said the water would be railed two tankers at a time to keep the length of time of the rail journey to a minimum.

The rail journey from Mount Isa to Cloncurry takes about six hours.

Mr Cosgrove said there had been a delay in using four tankers until now because one of them had leaked and needed repairs.

He said the project had run very smoothly so far and expected 13 Queensland Rail tankers each capable of carrying 25,000 litres to arrive from Rockhampton and begin carting water from Mount Isa into Cloncurry by mid-November.

He said Cloncurry could then begin carting up to six wagons into the town each day.

Cloncurry Shire Council Mayor Andrew Daniels said while bringing water into town this way was only a temporary solution, he was grateful.

"Every drop of water that comes into the town will help us," he said.

"It doesn't matter how it comes in; it can come by air if it wants, but it will all help us."