{"id":174557,"date":"2017-04-05T00:20:02","date_gmt":"2017-04-04T14:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=174557"},"modified":"2020-09-19T16:56:57","modified_gmt":"2020-09-19T06:56:57","slug":"881m-upgrade-for-dam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2017\/04\/05\/881m-upgrade-for-dam\/","title":{"rendered":"$881m Upgrade For Dam?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Wivenhoe Dam’s wall could be raised by either two metres or four metres by 2030, according to a report in Tuesday’s Brisbane Times (Photo: Somersetpedia.paul)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 5, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Anne Miller<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wivenhoe Dam wall could be about to be raised by either two metres or four metres, if news reports published on Tuesday night are correct.<\/p>\n

The Brisbane Times is reporting that dam operators Seqwater have a major upgrade of the dam “in the pipeline” which could cost taxpayers up to $881 million.<\/p>\n

Raising the dam walls four metres would increase the capacity of Lake Wivenhoe by almost a million megalitres, according to the Brisbane Times.<\/p>\n

Also included in the upgrade would be a third spillway at the dam wall and the removal of the emergency “fuse plug” spillway.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time the prospect of raising the dam wall to increase capacity and improve downstream safety has been canvassed.<\/p>\n

In 2014, the then-LNP State Government completed a long process to identify flood mitigation options for the Brisbane River catchment.<\/p>\n

Potential new dam sites were investigated – as many as 39 – which included proposals which could have affected some South Burnett residents.<\/p>\n

A prefeasibility investigation then developed a shortlist of three options which were released in December 2014:<\/strong><\/p>\n