Thread: Wivenhoe Dam Water Release

That's not a flood, This is a flood.
Feature - The Big Wet - Picture Queensland (State Library of Queensland)
Some recollections
I worked for Ford and water was half way up the doors of cars on the top deck of 2 deck rail wagons at Clapham Junction 17Km from the river.

I recall standing in Mowbray Park watching the last ship ever built at Evans Deakin The Amanda Miller steaming at 9? knots in the middle of the river with the damaged Cape Moreton alongside and two tugs to intercept debris. It was brand new had no ballast so the prop was 1/3 out of the water.
The water was across the deck of the Jindalee bridge at one end.

At Fig Tree Pocket, the water was metres above the roof of my wife's cousin's house for 3 days.

We found out why houses were built on stumps as the water came to within about 250CM of the floor at my mother's house in Ashfield St East Brisbane which had about 3plus meter stumps.

My question is-
Why hasn't anyone learned anything. Why do all the newer houses in Emerald appear to be ground level. Ditto Dalby. Ditto Bundaberg.

Seeing I have read that the water levels are lower than 1942? in Emerald it is not even a 100year event.

I know there was a great set to after the 1974 floods when Brisbane people in flood areas did not want the 100year flood levels publicised as they thought it would reduce their values. AFAIR the council did back down.

And All the talk many years ago before the Wivenhoe was built , was that it would only take 6 inches off the next peak.
So brisbane is overdue for a big one.
And of course it will all be the fault of "Climate Change"
Regards Philip A

Wasn't it Robert Miller

ta cam

Did you the know the design of the spillways of modern damns like the Wivenhoe is to prevent scarification of the riverbed and undermining of the dam ?

There ya go, you might have learned something.

Anyway my earliest memories are of the 1974 floods (I was 4).
As far as I recall our house at Toowong wasn't flooded but there was water further down the street.

Mum was one of the volunteer clean up crew and I do recall being in the old Mazda aswe drove around and seeing just oceans of water where ther were streets and suburbs etc. Quite something..

ummmm didnt wivenhoe come about because of the 74 floods????

maybe infastructure has changed and they feel it not as at risk as pre wivenhoe....

when does the home owner become reponsbale for their purchase....

Originally Posted by uninformed

ummmm didnt wivenhoe come about because of the 74 floods????

maybe infastructure has changed and they feel it not as at risk as pre wivenhoe....

when does the home owner become reponsbale for their purchase....

Yes Wivenhoe came about as a result of the '74 floods. I recall that at the time it was all about flood mitigation and then as the planners began working on it they realised that it could provide water supply and generate hydro power as well for peak power management.

The infrastructure is still at risk, maybe less so than before Wivenhoe, although last week I saw many examples back up in the Stanley river catchment where asphalt was stripped in sheets from bridges and roads where only a small flow in a creek had removed it. there is always constant monitoring of river debris each time the Wivenhoe spillway is opened and we often hear of the Citicats and Ferries being suspended because of debris.

Good question about the responsibility of the home-owner, but then they haven't seen it happen. I remember all those houses in lower lying areas being up on stilts for a reason, and then people began making use of their space, building in underneath, tearing down old Queenslanders and replacing it with slab built two story McMansions and these folks now wonder why it floods on their nice flat building block next to the cycle path by the river.

Originally Posted by VladTepes

Anyway my earliest memories are of the 1974 floods (I was 4).

Skite! I was 16, it was a fun time.

An interesting, and not widely known fact about Wivenhoe Dam is that it's actual flood mitigation capacity is another 125% on top of the full supply level! This means that the dam can hold another 1.45ML effectively doubling the size of the lake. As of today SEQ water is saying the level is at 1.24ML so there is still a heck of a long way to go before it results in an uncontrolled water release.

It is all OK in theory but it has yet to be tested.
There hasn't been a cyclone cross the coast near/at Brisbane since.
Lets just say I wouldn't buy a house at Figtree Pocket/Chelmer /Jindalee.

Regards Philip A