Living in the picturesque Elbow Valley, Queensland, I never imagined that we would one day have to fight for the very lifeline that sustains our community: our precious groundwater.

Recently, a development application has been lodged to our local council seeking approval for a commercial groundwater extraction plant including a high impact industry, a water bottling plant and associated water treatment and bottling facilities in an industrial warehouse, in our rural farmland quiet tranquil town.

396 Keoghs Road, Elbow Valley, known as the Cherrabah Resort, want to establish this industrial warehouse water bottling plant extracting 96 mega litres of groundwater water to be bottled and sent overseas this operation poses a significant threat not just to the immediate environment, but to the very fabric of our community. The submitted plan proposes to extract a staggering 96 megalitres of water every year from our shared aquifer. This amount of water is crucial to not only our local farmers and residents but also the rich diversity of wildlife that call this place home. 

Our farms rely on this groundwater to irrigate crops and sustain livestock, providing produce to families both near and far. The wildlife, which finds sanctuary in our natural environment, depends on this same water source. By converting this natural marvel into a commercial commodity, we risk depleting it beyond recovery, triggering irreversible consequences for our diverse ecosystem. 

The potential environmental repercussions extend further. With the establishment of a high impact industry such as a bottling plant, our community faces additional threats of pollution and noise disruption. The charm and appeal of Elbow Valley as a serene country town could be eroded, replaced by the noise and sight of industrial operations.

We strongly oppose the proposed application for 396 Keoghs Road and need your help to urge the decision-makers to consider the community's concerns and explore alternative methods that respect the needs of the environment, the local populace, and future generations.

We call upon the local council, environmental authorities, and all stakeholders to reject this development application in favor of preserving the natural resources and harmonious existence of Elbow Valley. Ensure our community today does not pay the price for tomorrow’s profit. Please sign our petition to safeguard the future of Elbow Valley, its environment, and its people.

 

Thank you for your support 

 

Do you want to do more?

Your help can make a difference 

Write a letter to:

Southern Downs Regional Council

PO Box 26 Warwick 4370

mail@sdrc.qld.gov.au

1300 697 372

www.sdrc.qld.gov.au

end date 19 December 2025

 

Include in your letter 

your name, address why you oppose the Application ref: MCU\02009.01 and the impact it will have, include all the below details to ensure it gets seen to by the right department  in the SDRC

 

Change proposed:
High impact industry (Water bottling facility- GFA: 3,570m})

Undefined use (Commercial Ground
Water Extraction)
Where: 396 Keoghs Road, Elbow Valley

On: Lot 1000 SP268215

Existing approval: Development Permit for Material Change of Use Undefined use (Commercial Ground. Water Extraction) (App. Ref: MCU\02009)

Application ref: MCU\02009.01

 

example:

To: Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) – Development Assessment Team  

Re: Objection to MCU Change Application – 396 Keoghs Road, Elbow Valley (MCU\02009 Other Change – Commercial Groundwater Extraction expanded to High Impact Industry / Water Treatment & Bottling Plant)  

From: Your full name

Address:  your address 

Date: 

 

Dear Assessment Team,

 

I, the undersign, respectfully oppose the proposed MCU/02009 Change Application at 396 Keoghs Road, Elbow Valley QLD, which seeks to expand commercial groundwater extraction into a High Impact Industry water treatment and bottling plant. We oppose the extraction of 96 megalitres per year of groundwater for commercial bottling purposes.

 

We oppose the existing approval from low-scale groundwater extraction and oppose the groundwater extraction to a full industrial processing, bottling and freight operation. This represents a significant and inappropriate intensification of use within a Rural Zone. The introduction of a large industrial warehouse, water treatment facility, bottling line and associated heavy-vehicle movements is incompatible with rural character, land-use intent and the expectations of neighbouring residents.

 

The application will generate daily heavy-rigid truck movements on Keoghs Road, a narrow rural road not designed for industrial freight. This poses unacceptable safety risks for residents, children, farmers, cyclists and horse riders, and will create dust, vibration and noise that significantly diminish rural amenity. In addition, increased heavy-vehicle movements threaten local wildlife through habitat disturbance, road-strike risk and disruption to natural movement corridors. The associated noise, dust and environmental disturbance will further impact the surrounding ecosystem and degrade the natural environment that the community values.

 

 

 

The groundwater assessments submitted with the application acknowledge substantial uncertainty regarding long-term aquifer response and note that forward prediction of long-term drawdown has not been undertaken. Actual drawdown during testing was greater than theoretical estimates, and the interplay of fractured rock systems and boundary conditions remains poorly defined. As a result, the long-term impacts on neighbouring bores cannot be confidently determined. Monitoring conditions cannot prevent harm once groundwater loss occurs and place the burden on affected landholders.

 

Given the unresolved groundwater risks, industrial traffic impacts, amenity loss and land-use conflict, we respectfully request that Southern Downs Regional Council refuse the MCU/02009 change application.