The Etheridge Shire says it is making good progress in its bid to secure a second dam to supply the drought-stricken township of Forsayth in Queensland’s Gulf Country.

The council needs about $10 million to build a dam which could hold up to eight gigalitres of water by 2015, and is preparing a report for the state and federal governments.

It is having to truck water into Forsayth daily in the meantime.

Mayor Will Attwood says a hydrology survey has been done and further tests are underway.

“Basically what that does is determines whether the land will hold water – whether there’s cracks in the land and those sorts of things and we also have had some small issues with mining leases and exploration leases,” he said.

“So we’ve been doing some negotiating with that as well, so there’s a lot of people we have to talk to to get this all on track.”