Paradise Dam spillway to be lowered under emergency laws

The State Government is rushing laws through Parliament allowing it to lower the spillway of a Queensland dam by next wet season to guard against a possible catastrophic failure.

THE State Government will rush laws through Parliament today that will allow it to lower the spillway of the Paradise Dam in time for next year’s wet season.

Work is expected to begin next month, following the anticipated passing of amendments today, which are to be tacked on to the Resources Safety and Health Queensland Bill.

The rushed legislation will allow dam operator Sunwater to begin and complete urgent works to lower the spillway of the Burnett River dam before the start of the 2020-21 wet season, according to explanatory notes seen by The Courier-Mail.

That work will reduce the risks posts to downstream Bundaberg and surrounding communities from a catastrophic failure of the dam, the notes say.

The dam will be lowered to 42 per cent of its capacity to allow for work on the wall, and more than 100,000 megalitres of water has been released.

The Government announced late last year an independent inquiry would probe structural issues after technical reports showed faults originated with its initial construction in 2005.

The dam was constructed in layers of rolled concrete and there was a problem with the bonding between those layers, Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham said at the time.

Dr Lynham said today the dam wall would be lowered by 5m as part of the first works allowed under the new laws.

But he could not say whether works would be able to be reversed, saying the Government was waiting on a building report and further examinations.

He said expert advice showed the urgent work to the Burnett River dam was necessary, with an extreme weather event a risk to the Bundaberg community and its surrounds.

“The amendments allow approvals to be given quickly to allow dam works to start by March and April, we have to use the dry season … we need these approvals pushed through rapidly,” he said.

Dr Lynham said the Government had bypassed committee to rush the amendmendments through because of the safety issues the dam poses.

“No other dam is affected by these amendments, it is only paradise, only because of the safety issues that paradise dam gives to the people of Bundaberg,” he said.

The new laws are specific to the dam and will expire on December 31, 2023.

Attaching them to another Bill will allow Government to bypass its committees process, through which stakeholders provide feedback on proposed legislation before it is voted on.