Troubled Paradise Dam inquiry report given to Queensland government

As farmers plead to delay reducing the dam’s wall for repair work, a report into Paradise Dam will go before cabinet.

Farmers and workers rally for Paradise Dam outside the Bundaberg Courthouse.

The former Beattie government and state-owned Sunwater are expected to face criticism in a commission of inquiry report into Queensland’s defective Paradise Dam.

A final report, handed to the Palaszczuk Government on Thursday, will now go before state cabinet as farmers pleaded for a delay in plans to soon begin reducing the dam’s wall for repair work ahead of the wet season later this year.

The 300,000 megalitre dam, the source of irrigation for the one of Australia’s most productive food bowls around Bundaberg, was found to be “well below” safety standards and in danger of breaking apart in the event of a major flood.

Built and opened by the former Beattie Labor government in 2005, the roller compacted concrete dam – which suffered damage in the 2011 and 2013 floods – is riddled with design and construction faults problems.

The commission of Inquiry was ordered last year by premier Annastacia Palaszczuk after The Australian revealed Sunwater, operator of the dam, and senior bureaucrats had been aware for years that there were design problems with the dam’s “dissipator” and that layers of concrete in the spillway wall had not properly bonded.

A 2015-16 safety review of the dam first revealed possible risks over the safety of the dam but was kept secret.

It was only after Sunwater announced last September it was halving the existing stored water levels with the release of 105,000ML, most of which poured into the ocean, that the problems with the dam became public.

During the inquiry, Sunwater had faced criticism over its handling and response to flood damage to the dam.

There was also allegations that the Beattie Government’s establishment of a “special purpose vehicle” to build the dam, using private enterprise, led to poor oversight during construction.

Bundaberg grower’s co-operative managing director Bree Grima said the report needed to be publicly released.

Ms Grima said the state government should heed the advice of expert witnesses to the inquiry who called for more testing before the dam wall is reduced for 5m for repair work.

“We are asking the state government why they are rushing to reduce the spillway without any guarantee that they will be return the full storage capacity of the dam,’’ she said.

“Last year, Sunwater released more than 100,000 ML in the middle of the drought and reduced the storage to levels that the government were safe.

“Why can’t they just do that ahead of any rainfall event?’’

It was revealed earlier this year that the state government had estimated it will cost more than $750 million to repair the dam and return it to its full capacity.

But the inquiry was told that US geotechnical expert Paul Rizzo, who had been engaged by local growers, said although the dam was in a “distressed state”, concerns about a catastrophic failure risking lives downstream were alarmist.

In a submission to the inquiry, he said the flood-damaged dam could be stabilised using special anchors at a cost of about $US15.75m, or less than $25m.

Water minister Anthony Lynham has previously refuse to commit the cash-strapped government to repairing the dam to its full capacity.

In a statement, Dr Lynham said “Government will consider the final report after it is provided to the Premier and me. It will be released publicly after it has been considered.’’