In July 2011, the council purchased the quarry and other land at Wayne McCarthy's Concrete and Aggregate Pty Ltd. There were two pits at the site, and the council announced one would continue as a quarry and the other would be used as an off-stream water storage.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Councillors had made a unanimous decision to purchase the quarry at an extraordinary council meeting the previous month.
At the time, the capacity of Beardy Waters Weir was 488 megalitres, with residents in Glen Innes consuming about 600 megalitres a year.
The purchase would see the capacity of our water supply doubled.
Council had borrowed $2.8 million for the water fund and $1 million from the general fund, to purchase the quarry, and as part of the purchase, council took over the crushing operations at the quarry to be managed as a business unit.
Almost six years later, the news that it is expected to produce a profit of more than half a million dollars this financial year shows it was a good decision.
The water storage facility has not only won the council awards for innovation but has also effectively drought-proofed the area.
During a dry spell last year, for the first time, the council did not need to implement water restrictions for residents.
We are pleased to hear that Glen Innes Aggregates’ profit forecast will fund gravel re-sheeting of 7.8km of West Furracabad Road and 0.4km of Haymarket Road, and bitumen sealing 1km of Blue Hills Road.
Hein Basson said the reason for this increase was predominantly due to wind farm developments west of Glen Innes and was only an estimation, dependent on future works and contracts that council is successful in gaining
In the years prior to the 2011 purchase, a number of water augmentation schemes had been investigated by the council in an effort to avoid water restrictions during drought, which we see in neighbouring communities, such as Inverell with its Copeton Dam supply.
The project since has entered its next phase, with one of the quarry pits stocked with 3000 silver perch fingerlings last year, part of a long-term plan to create a fresh tourism aspect for the district.
The Examiner says well done Glen Innes Severn Council for its foresight, which is now paying off in several ways for our local community.