Sunwater assures community Paradise Dam safe in face of massive rainfall

Sixty thousand people living downstream of the embattled Paradise Dam have been assured the dam is safe and there is nothing to fear as some models predict heavy rain could fall near Bundaberg in the wake of Cyclone Kirrily.

Forecasts of up to a metre of rain in Bundaberg have raised concerns about risks to the thousands of people living downstream of the troubled Paradise Dam.

The company behind the troubled Paradise Dam has assured the safety of downstream landholders as some forecasters predict heavy rain for Bundaberg in the wake of Cyclone Kirrily.

With the Bureau of Meteorology expecting Kirrily to make landfall between Cardwell and Airlie Beach on Thursday, Premier Steven Miles said on Tuesday Queenslanders should brace for the impacts of the category 3 cyclone and the major rain event expected to wreak havoc along the coastline.

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“The real challenge this time around is the sheer amount of the state likely to experience the impacts of this tropical cyclone and then the tropical low that it’s expected to weaken into,” Mr Miles said.

“Massive amounts of rainfall possibly hitting locations that have already experienced this kind of massive rainfall, localised flooding and riverine flooding.”

Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator modelling is reported to predict 1000mm rainfall for the Bundaberg region after Tropical Cyclone Kirrily makes landfall.

The Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator, a joint collaboration between the BOM and CSIRO, earlier predicted a 1000mm deluge will fall on Bundaberg, more than twice the amount of rainfall that caused the catastrophic 2013 floods in the region. That forecast has since been downgraded.

The forecasts raise concerns around the risks posed to the 60,000 people living downstream of Paradise Dam, after Sunwater revealed recent testing found “unprecedented” issues with the concrete used in the dam’s construction meant its long-term strength was compromised.

After a government inquiry found the safety of the dam could not be guaranteed in the event of flows greater than the 2011 and 2013 floods, the dam wall was lowered by nearly 6m in 2021.

Due to this, Bundaberg region farming advocate Judy Plath called on Sunwater to reassure the community the problems with the dam do not impact on the flood risk to their lives and properties.

Recent testing found the concrete used in the construction of Paradise Dam had "unprecedented" issues which impact on the long-term strength of the dam wall.

“It’s important that our community knows that Sunwater and Bundaberg Regional Council have comprehensive flood evacuation plans in place which ensure that any flood prone areas of the Bundaberg region are evacuated when the Burnett River is at risk of flooding,” Ms Plath said.

“What Sunwater needs to remind our region is that during the record flood of 2013, the flood prone areas of Bundaberg were evacuated well before the water level reached a point at which Paradise Dam may have failed.

“ … If the dam was to fail in a significant flood event, it would result in the potential for additional areas to be impacted.”

In response, a Sunwater spokesperson affirmed the safety of the dam, saying the decision to build a new dam wall was made in the interests of “protecting lives and livelihoods”.

“The dam is safe and will remain so throughout the life of the project to build a new dam wall,” the spokesperson said.

“The completion of the essential works to lower the dam wall in 2021 reduced the risk of dam failure to a one in 5000-year event.

“Prior to this, the dam failure risk was a one in 200-year event, such as the community experienced in 2013.

“Sunwater reminds the community to remain vigilant of rising watercourses and listen to advice from authorities.”

Bundaberg region farming advocate Judy Plath called on Sunwater to reassure the community that the problems with the dam do not impact on the flood risk to their lives and properties.

Bundaberg Labor MP Tom Smith said rainfall predictions for the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Kirrily could not be made with any certainty for Wide Bay, but encouraged residents to ensure their disaster plans were up to date.

“The current advice provided to me is that it is far too early to make accurate rainfall predictions about the Wide Bay region as a result of the weather pattern expected to form as a tropical cyclone,” Mr Smith said.

“Queensland is no stranger to severe weather patterns during our summer months, and it is important that households across all communities ensure they have a preparedness kit available for large storms.”

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“As with any weather event that directly impacts our state, we should always be alert and prepared for any possible scenarios.

“I will remain in contact with our state and local government agencies as the next number of days play out and provide updates to the Bundaberg community on the advice of the experts charged with keeping our community safe and prepared.”

Bundaberg Regional Council did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.