Leslie Dam spillway gates to open after years of brutal drought

‘From the outhouse to the penthouse’: Just two years ago it was feared the vital water source was going to run dry as it sat at just 4 per cent, but now heavy falls have sent Leslie Dam to capacity and floodgates are expected to open imminently.

After years of crippling drought, water carting and desperately hopeful rain dances, Warwick’s Leslie Dam is finally full and floodgates are expected to be opened.

A Sunwater spokesman said Leslie Dam was likely to reach capacity and begin spilling excess water Wednesday afternoon.

“Water will be released via the dam’s spillway gates when the dam storage level is at 100 per cent,” he said.

“The gates will be operated in accordance with Leslie Dam’s operations manual.”

The spokesman said at this stage, the volume of water spilling from the dam is expected to be relatively minor.

The epic milestone comes after years of crippling drought, which saw the State Government funding water carting from Warwick to Stanthorpe, and grave concerns Warwick too would run dry.

Leslie Dam has skyrocketed in capacity since Tuesday, with widespread heavy rainfall pushing it from 77 per cent to 99.35 per cent at 2.45pm Wednesday.

Lake Leslie Tourist Park owner Adam Bennett said he woke up at 5am like a kid on Christmas, heading out to take photos and videos of the swelling water.

Mr Bennett said having the dam at capacity was going to not only boost his business, but also the spirits of the whole community.

“I don’t think it is going to be a busy weekend, so to speak, with all the water around, but I daresay it will turn things around,” he said.

“Business-wise it is going to make the whole thing go tenfold.

“At one point there it went from 4.6 to 17 or 19 per cent and that was like all Christmases at once, and then shot up again.

“The lower percentages do hurt business but it is looking to be a very, very good couple of years ahead and personally, everyone needed it.”

Despite owning the tourist spot for close to a decade, Mr Bennett and his wife Caroline are seeing the dam at capacity for the first time.

“In 2012, we bought the place when it was around 85 per cent full after 2011 floods, and even then we thought, ‘what a fantastic dam’,” he said.

“This is the first time we have seen it full.”

Mr Bennett said the dam had been transformed into a “mini highway” as hordes of people head out to get a glimpse of the glorious sight.

Southern Downs Mayor Vic Pennisi said the surging dam levels said the community had gone “from the outhouse to the penthouse”.

“We did run out of water in Stanthorpe and basically in this calendar year we have gone from the outhouse to the penthouse,” he said.

“From a local government point of view, the dam has been at capacity for us since March, but the fact it is going over the top means it is going to secure some of the growers downstream.

“From their point of view, that is tremendous news and gives them security.”
The Mayor said despite overflowing creeks and dams across the region, it was vital for people to remain conscious of water use and for leaders to focus on long-term water security.

“Today is a day closer to the next drought, no doubt about it, and a day closer to the next flood, so we have to deal with what is thrown at us as it comes,” he said.

Mr Pennisi said Southern Downs Regional Council remained committed to securing reliable water supplies in the future, specifically through Emu Swamp Dam, pipelines and bores.

As water is readied to be released from Leslie Dam, Mr Pennisi said he was watching to see how downstream residents would be affected.

“That is my concern and we are not sure how the river will react to that and there is no use second guessing, we will just have to wait and see,” he said.

Mr Pennisi said a number of residents were evacuated from Leyburn overnight but he believed we had “missed the bullet” and little to no homes were inundated.

Leslie Dam was last at capacity in November 2011, with its full supply level sitting at 106,240ML.

Originally published as Leslie Dam spillway gates to open after years of brutal drought