FUNDING awarded to the Southern Downs Regional Council will be handed over to the region's horticulture sector to deliver the Emu Swamp Dam.

The council had won $3.97 million under the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund to complete the study in February to carry out a feasibility study, which found the project to be one of several options to provide a secure water supply to the Stanthorpe district.

LNP candidate for the Southern Downs James Lister this morning wrote Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce had seized the funding and planned to give the funding to the horticultural industry to get cracking on the dam "once and for all.”

He confirmed previous reports that irrigators would be willing to pay for water access if the project is delivered.

"No more crossed purposes with urban water supply or ratepayers. ESD will be an irrigation project,” Mr Lister wrote on the Southern Downs Residents Action Group Facebook page.

"The horticultural industry on the Granite Belt is absolutely lean and competitive - world class in fact.

"The problem is that everyone thinks the growers will use ESD water all of the time.

"The truth is that they need the water to finish off crops in dry times. At that point, the growers are prepared to pay much more.”

The estimated cost for Emu Swamp Dam has been reported at between $59million to $120million based on preliminary costing.

Action Group member and Warwick business owner Adam Colrain said the agricultural community could not afford the ongoing operational costs of the project unless it was heavily subsidised by Federal and State Governments.

"In my mind the Emu Swamp Dam Project will be a political football that will get kicked around for many more years, without a solution for the community,” he said.

But Granite Belt grower Bill Humble said the district needed to secure a solution quickly.

"We need water, end of story,” Mr Humble wrote.

"Quit stalling, and get cracking, before we all die of thirst.

"How unfortunate is the football game, however that is what it has become.

"Some countries just get on and build.”