Deputy Premier Paul Lucas says if the Traveston Crossing dam cannot be built for environmental reasons, then no new dam in Queensland will ever be able to be built.

Opponents of the proposed dam on the Mary River near Gympie, in the state's south-east, conducted their annual protest horse ride through the region yesterday, which they have done every year since the project was announced in 2006.

Mr Lucas says if the dam is not built, a more costly solution will be required.

"If we don't have Traveston, something else will need to be built," he said.

"It'll be an extra desalination plant and it will be more expensive and people's water will go up further.

"Traveston is a good solution, it is a good outcome, and if people say they shouldn't be building Traveston, then they should be consistent and say we should never build another dam anywhere in Queensland."

Mr Lucas says while opponents have the right to protest, the dam is still important.

"Don't think back and think just because it's rained a bit in the last year or so that we can forget the importance of continuing to build the water grid or in 10 years' time we'll get to where we were again, and people will say 'why didn't you build Traveston?'"

No hurry-up

The Queensland Government says it is not pressuring the Commonwealth to hurry its decision on the dam.

The state's coordinator-general is seeking federal comment on a draft dam report before sending the final version to federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett for consideration.

Feedback has reportedly been requested by Wednesday.

Queensland Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe says it is a matter for the coordinator-general, not the State Government.

"I understood it was a matter of weeks so that might make sense, but I haven't interrogated the particular date," he said.

"In providing the draft report, he sought particular feedback in a certain time frame so he can finalise his report.

"The coordinator-general and his office have been dealing with all these matters entirely independently."