Wivenhoe Dam flood performance report
On 5 December 2011 the State Government received an independent report investigating options for increasing the flood mitigation performance of Wivenhoe Dam.
The investigation was commissioned by the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) in September 2011, as part of the State Government’s response to the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry’s Interim Report handed down in August 2011.
It was overseen by DEEDI’s Office of the Coordinator General, Department of Environment and Resource Management, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Treasury, Queensland Water Commission, Seqwater and the Water Grid Manager.
Undertaken by engineering consultants GHD Pty Ltd, the Report for investigation of options to increase the flood mitigation performance of Wivenhoe Dam is available for download.
Download the complete report (PDF, 6.4M)*. or
- Section 1: Table of contents and executive summary (PDF, 141K)*
- Section 2: Main body of report (Introduction to References) (PDF, 2.1M)*
- Section 3: Appendices (PDF, 3.9M)*
A copy of the report was provided to the Commission of Inquiry.
Findings and future reports
The report contains recommendations covering options for raising the Wivenhoe Dam walls.
GHD has however recommended that caution should be applied in drawing conclusions due to the potential for significant variability in actual flood events such as flood patterns and flood risk.
A more detailed assessment of a larger range of scenarios using a more complex hydrologic model is considered necessary.
The GHD report will contribute to the longer term Wivenhoe and Somerset Dam Optimisation Study (WSDOS)—initiated by the Queensland Government in response to the Inquiry’s Interim Report.
Seqwater, the operator of the Wivenhoe and Somerset dams, is coordinating the WSDOS project with assistance from state and local government agencies.
The project entails a long-term review of flood mitigation and water supply of the Wivenhoe and Somerset Dam system and is expected to be completed in late 2012.
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Last updated 9 December 2011
