Saltwater Creek renamed Crystal Creek

In 1935, Saltwater Creek was renamed Crystal Creek, in an effort to make the area more appealing to tourists. It was also hoped the change of name might help to garner public support for an expensive scheme to source the city’s water

from Mt Spec.

View of Crystal Creek (formerly called Saltwater Creek) and arched bridge, 1957.

Photo: Fred Carew, held by Townsville City Libraries.

   

At a special meeting of the City Council in late November 1935, it was decided by majority vote that “no further expenditure in the development of the Ross River Water Supply Scheme be undertaken, other than maintenance of the existing works.”

The motion further provided that the “Saltwater Creek Gravitation Scheme be adopted as Townsville’s future water supply”, as soon as money was available.

The scheme, which was put forward by Mr J. Mulholland, of the Water and Irrigation Department, involved the construction of an 84km pipeline and a rock-fill storage dam at an estimated cost of £639,000.

Near the source of Saltwater Creek, March 1922.
Photo: City Libraries Townsville.

During spirited discussion of the motion, Alderman Keyatta argued that: “it would be unwise to spend further money on the Ross River”.

“Even the expenditure of £113,000 for another weir would be a sheer waste of money,” he said.

“The Council should now conserve its finances for the Saltwater Creek Scheme.”

Alderman Keyatta’s opinion was based on the assumption that considerable savings over time could be made by adopting the Saltwater Creek Scheme - which was based on gravitation - instead of expanding the costly system of pumping which was in operation at the Ross River.

Alderman Hayes, who was in favour of the scheme, remarked: “Then we will have water, not muddy slush like we get now.”

But the name of the scheme – Saltwater – implied that the water was salt- rather than fresh- water and the concern was that ratepayers might be opposed to the scheme on that basis.

Alderman Hayes assured those at the meeting that tidal (salt) water had never reached more than 450 metres beyond the railway bridge.

In March of that year, a deputation from the Townsville branch of the RACQ and the Townsville and District Development Association approached the Minister for Labor and Industry, Mr M.P. Hynes, about the possibility of changing Saltwater Creek’s name to Crystal Creek. The Minister agreed that the name was rather misleading to tourists, as “excellent water was obtainable in the creek”.

Upper Saltwater falls source, March 1922.
Photo: City Libraries Townsville.

The water situation in Townsville at that time had reached a crisis point, with only 238mm of rain falling by December. This was the lowest rainfall on record since 1870.

Despite the potential for panic, the Mayor, Alderman J.S. Gill, thought the Council should first wait and see how well the new weir on the Ross River would serve the city. He urged the aldermen not to rush into a scheme that would “put a mill stone around the necks of the people”.

The Mayor believed that the Ross River would provide sufficient water for Townsville for the next 10 to 15 years, “even if the population doubled”.

Alderman Gill felt that instead of rushing into the Saltwater Creek Scheme, the Council should investigate the matter more fully.

Alderman Hayes retorted impatiently: “And spend 50 years on it.”

Not to be outdone, Alderman Gill snapped back with: “We will all be dead in that time.”

It was December 1954 before water from Crystal Creek was connected to Townsville. 

Darkest drought in the Ross River watershed

In 1935 Townsville was in the grip of an unprecedented drought. The Ross River had stopped flowing, and water had to be brought to the city by special trains, at considerable cost.

Black Weir, on Ross River, under construction, 1933.
Photo:  CityLibraries Townsville Local History Collection.

Described as “the darkest drought ever known in the Ross River watershed”, by December the city had only received 218mm of rain. This was the lowest rainfall on record since 1870.  Most of this rain fell in the early months of the year, and between July and the end of November, only 8.5mm of rain was officially recorded.

But the city’s 27,000-strong population was drawing over 750,000 gallons a day from the town’s wells, which meant the underground supply was rapidly diminishing. In one week at the end of November, the City Engineer reported to the Council that 4.75 million gallons had been pumped into the city’s reservoirs from the underground supply, but that the city’s consumption that week had exceeded 5.34 million gallons.

Water restrictions were in place that prohibited the use of garden hoses, and only permitted the watering of plants for one hour on one night per week.

The City Engineer estimated that at the current rate of consumption, and if water continued to be used for gardening purposes, it would only be a few days before people ran out of water. 

Only two years before, the city council commenced construction of a weir on the Ross River at the Black School, (now the Weir School) which was expected to hold two years’ worth of water in reserve, but there had not been sufficient rain to fill it since its completion.

Black Weir, on the Ross River, 1936.
Photo: W.J. Laurie, held by CityLibraries Townsville Local History Collection.

The Council had to resort to paying to have water brought in from wherever it could get it.  On the afternoon of November 21, the first water train pulled in to the station in Townsville, carrying 45,000 gallons of water drawn from the Burdekin River at Macrossan.  The train then proceeded to the Hubert’s Well, where the water was pumped into a concrete cistern before being chlorinated.

The first three months of 1936 saw the return of a good wet season, with over 1,300mm of rain restoring the city’s water reserves.

With the influx of military troops during World War II, the city once again experienced critical water shortages.  Severe restrictions were in place, with water only made available to households during limited hours each day.

In October 1943, Townsville was just months away from running out of water.  A deputation of city leaders told the visiting Queensland Premier, Mr F.A. Cooper, that if no rain fell, the city would be without water by mid-February, 1944.

The city’s backup plan was a pipeline to Mt Spec that could be erected at a cost of £300,000, which could deliver 1 million gallons of water a day. The other option was Keelbottom Creek, where they believed water could be impounded to supply 4.5 million gallons daily, but the cost for this scheme was considerably higher, at £1 million.

An appeal to the Federal Government for help elicited this response:

“The Commonwealth realises that the demands of the forces and incidental war activities around Townsville have thrown a heavy drain on the water supply system.”

Under the circumstances, the Federal Government was willing to make a fixed contribution of £75,000 towards the Mt Spec scheme.