KBR supports South Burnett, Queensland to achieve economic and sustainability success
According to Infrastructure Australia’s 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan, many regions are eager to capitalize on new opportunities and embrace new industries. To maximize these opportunities, reliable and resilient infrastructure networks are critical.
Water infrastructure has a critical role in the sustainability journey for Australia. Both urban water and irrigation infrastructure projects provide an opportunity to build prosperity, opportunity and, importantly, sustainability for regional communities and towns. Water is central to regional areas in Australia, progressing from merely surviving to re-establishing themselves as thriving centers that attract economic investment, population growth and social progress.
KBR is creating a strategy to achieve long-term economic and sustainability success for the South Burnett region in Queensland (QLD), Australia and recently submitted its 25-year economic roadmap to the Council. This is the final report from a $2 million, two-year water feasibility project into the region's future water needs.
The Economic Roadmap produced by KBR has identified that South Burnett has the qualities to become an agricultural powerhouse. The area has the right soil, favorable climate, growing markets, and generations of farming expertise, giving it the potential to create 732 jobs and $111 million of annual agricultural production.
With water availability being the only limitation, the Economic Roadmap outlines four viable water projects in the region which have the potential to open significant new opportunities for irrigated agriculture.
Many of the most successful water infrastructure projects in regional Queensland and elsewhere in Australia have been based on effective partnerships and close involvement from regional councils. Through the application of a collaborative pathway through the business case development phase, KBR has developed a regional development strategy informed by comprehensive and collaborative industry and community consultation.
KBR’s Water Solutions team understands the connection between water and regional prosperity and how it unlocks the potential to revitalize and reshape the economic, social, and environmental landscape for communities and the natural environment. Through its proven collaborative pathway, the team continues to increase sustainability, prosperity, and livability of regions across Australia.
