Borumba Dam
The Borumba Dam is a rock-fill embankment dam with an un-gated spillway located across the Yabba Creek, a tributary of the Mary River, in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The main purposes of the dam are for irrigation and potable water supply. The resultant impounded reservoir is called Lake Borumba.
Location and features
Constructed in 1964, Borumba Dam is a popular destination for recreational fishers. The dam wall is located about south west of Imbil.The dam wall is high and long and holds back of water when at full capacity. The surface area of the reservoir is and the catchment area is. The uncontrolled un-gated spillway has a discharge capacity of. The dam is managed by Seqwater. The dam wall was raised by and completed in 1997. In 1980 Ern Grant B.Sc. M.Sc. of Ern Grants Guide to Fishes fame was instrumental in setting up a Freshwater Fish Hatchery at Borumba. The Hatchery is no longer in operation. During 2008 and 2009 the dam wall was raised by another. The second upgrade was intended to allow better management of extreme rainfall events.
According to a local councillor the spillway developed a crack after an earthquake on 1 December 1991.
In August 2021 the Queensland Government announced $22m in funding for analysis of a proposed pumped hydro-electric project, utilising a new dam built above Borumba Dam. It could store 2 GigaWatt of power running 24 hours, and may cost $14 billion.
In 2025, the Project was considered to be significantly over budget and delayed. The project's costs have surged from $14.2 billion to $18.4 billion, with a new completion estimate set no earlier than 2033, potentially extending to July 2035. This 2,000-megawatt facility aimed to power two million homes as a key component of the previous state government's renewable energy initiative. The revised costs and timelines have been attributed to steep increases in construction expenses and protracted approval processes. QLD Treasurer David Janetzki has criticised the previous administration for the financial and scheduling overshoots and is exploring smaller, more manageable project alternatives. Concerns about the project's environmental impact on the Mary River and surrounding ecosystems have also been raised, with calls for greater transparency and public access to project reports.
Recreation
A range of recreation activities are permitted at Borumba Dam including boating, canoeing and kayaking, water skiing and jet skiing, fishing, camping, and walking. Picnic and barbeque facilities are available.Naturally occurring blue-green algae blooms sometimes mean Seqwater closes access to the dam's water for public safety purposes.