BJELKE-PETERSEN DAM SPILLWAY UPGRADE COMPLETED

The $5 million upgrade of Bjelke-Petersen Dam’s spillway is complete, Minister for Natural Resources and Water Craig Wallace said today.

The upgrade project, which began in February, involved the construction of a 1.75 metre high wall across the dam to ensure improved and effective flood mitigation when required.

Mr Wallace said it was the second spillway upgrade undertaken in the region, with Fred Haigh Dam near Gin Gin completed late last year and work on Borumba Dam near Gympie expected to start March next year.

“The Bjelke-Petersen Dam spillway upgrade is just one part of our state-wide strategy that will see up to 16 SunWater dams upgraded over the next 20 years,” Mr Wallace said.

“Despite the ongoing drought we are witnessing in the region, as a responsible government we must ensure safety is our highest priority. It is also an opportune time to undertake these upgrades, while the storage levels are low.”

Mr Wallace said SunWater had developed the spillway upgrade program following the Bureau of Meteorology’s revision of extreme rainfall events projections.

The revised projections revealed that while highly unlikely, extreme flood events were conceivable and therefore increased flood mitigation capabilities were necessary.

“The spillway upgrade is designed to ensure effective flood water management.”

Mr Wallace said that as the State Government had fully funded the spillway program, the cost of the upgrades would not be passed on to SunWater customers.

SunWater Bundaberg Regional Manager Danny Green said he was pleased the project was completed on time and $1.2m less than the estimated budget.

Mr Green said SunWater appreciated the patience of the local community while work was completed.

“With work completed on the project we will now reopen the boat ramps that were closed during construction and we are hopeful we will see some much-needed rain in the region to fill our storages,” he said.

Media inquiries: Caroline Kaurila, Craig Wallace’s office, on (07) 3896 3694.