Bradfield Scheme

Bradfield Scheme
Never implemented
It was proposed that water from the Tully, Herbert and Burdekin rivers be diverted west
Purpose	Irrigate agricultural land in western Queensland, Australia
Proposed	1938
Abandoned	1947
Proponents	John Bradfield Bob Katter Peter Beattie
Opponents	W. H. R. Nimmo

The Bradfield Scheme, a proposed Australian water diversion scheme, is an inland irrigation project that was designed to irrigate and drought-proof much of the western Queensland interior, as well as large areas of South Australia. It was devised by Dr John Bradfield (1867–1943), a Queensland born civil engineer, who also designed the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Brisbane's Story Bridge. Some people considered the plan to be lacking in scientific justification, excessively expensive, and overly optimistic.

The scheme that Bradfield proposed in 1938 required large pipes, tunnels, pumps and dams. It involved diverting water from the upper reaches of the Tully, Herbert and Burdekin rivers. These Queensland rivers are fed by the monsoon, and flow east to the Coral Sea. It was proposed that the water would enter the Thomson River on the western side of the Great Dividing Range and eventually flow south west to Lake Eyre. An alternative plan was to divert water into the Flinders River.

There have been no attempts to implement the scheme, although the plan is raised from time to time.

The water was expected to provide irrigation for more than 1,000,000,000 hectares (2.5×10⁹ acres) of agricultural land in Queensland. The scheme would reduce the massive natural erosion problems in areas of Central Queensland. The scheme had the ability to generate 370 megawatts (500,000 hp) of power and the potential to double that amount. Controlling and reducing the flow of northern rivers into the ocean may benefit the Great Barrier Reef as fresh water causes coral bleaching, and the excess nutrients in the rivers from coastal farming and development support algal growth that can harm the reef.