Paradise Dam spills as more rain is expected to fall

With rain expected across the North Burnett and Bundaberg over the next two days, SunWater will be closely watching the volume of water going in to and out of Paradise Dam.

Persistent rainfall over the last week across the Bundaberg region has raised concerns over Paradise Dams water levels. Photo Erica Murree / Central & North Burnett Times

Paradise Dam is spilling after more than 410mm of rain last weekend.

SunWater has issued warnings to residents downstream but said this week the excess water would remain within the river and riverbed.

But more rain is expected this week, with the BoM expecting up to 25mm in Bundaberg on Wednesday and 20mm on Thursday, and more falls near the headwaters of the Burnett River at Monto and Eidsvold.

A spokesman for SunWater said the dam had been overflowing since Monday.

On Tuesday it was at 102 percent capacity, which is “totally normal” for the wet season, he said.

This is the fourth time the dam has spilled excess water since the beginning of December.

On Sunday, January 12, 2025, Paradise Dam was recorded at 114 per cent capacity and its highest recorded capacity was as 232 per cent in January 2013.

The state government says at least $4.4 billion will be needed to build a new wall for Paradise Dam.

The former state and federal governments had previously committed $1.2 billion for wall restoration before discovering it could not be repaired.

Now a detailed business case for the work is expected to be completed by the end of this year.