wivenhoe pic

[Bommie]

Though this was a good pic of big w at 197%, holding back a hell of a lot of water

[rayke1938]

Not much freeboard left there

.Despite what some people are saying I reckon SEQ water did a good job.

Just as an aside visited my cousin at oxley this morning.

He had 3 feet of water in his house.

It was over the roof in 74 and lost everything as no insurance.

He totally blames SEQ water for it.

All they saved this time was a few port fulls of clothes because they thought that it wasnt going to happen and when he tried to evacuate he couldnt get back into street after the first load.

His insurance ( Suncorp)looks like footing bill for everything.

They have already given $5k for fridge,beds,washing machine so that he could move back in rather than rent elsewhere.

Reckon I would be taking rental option as they have no cupboards or other furniture,floor coverings and bottom sheets of plasterboard been ripped out.

Place stinks despite sprayed with disinfectant and baking powder sprinkled everywhere.

Their attitude is that they are ok as plenty of people worse off than them.

Cheers

Ray

[Bommie]

Agree, SEQ Water done well considering the circumstances.

[shaggy]

second that motion, I don't think seq h2o had alot of choice, they managed a real tough situation the best they could.

great pic too bommie

[Malcolm]

Amazing picture

Just shows how close it was to going over.

Any more pics mate ?

[Bommie]

I dont know if these have been posted before, but it shows the power of water to be able to gouge out the cliffs either side of the run and carve up the bottom like this

[]

here Mal, pic of twin bridges once the water went down a bit, the bridges are still under in the pic

going to have to search for new bass spots now, it will be like a totally different river, structure wise.

[werewolf]

Wow I think that first pic shows just how close we came to half of south east qld came to being wiped out?

Where the gates fully open or was that the maximum rate that they could have released water at? If they were balancing it wow what a hard job! And if they were fully open, wow we were lucky it stopped raining?

Hey Ray I think you mentioned prior to the flood that there is a "sacrificial" spillway or something. The water must have been lapping it! :sick:

[Bommie]

I think it was about a metre or less

[greystoke]

The water was just 100mm, yep 10cm, from triggering the fuse wall.

[rayke1938]

The water was just 100mm, yep 10cm, from triggering the fuse wall.

That is the figure that my son in law quoted.

Cheers

Ray

[Bommie]

thanks for the correction guys

[Bommie]

here is some old pics,

the beginning,

[

[werewolf]

10 cm wow!

Awesome pics too thanks guys

[dassa]

that is truley amazing I wish more people could understand what was being held back and then they might realise what seq were doing to keep them safe.

[mongrel jack]

Holy crap! That's a sight I hope we don't see again - too close for comfort.....

[goldnugget]

Great pics posted there.

I guess I will be one of those people to stand up to say the SEQW were very (extremely) lucky their gamble paid off, but would be far from saying they managed Wivanhoe well.

The reasoning behind this statement is as follows:

The rain event that affected inflows into Wivanhoe was also responsible for Toowoomba, and the lockyer valley flooding. For some 48 hrs they knew that the Lockyer flows were coming and would join Brisbane River below the catchment, yet they did not release maximum flows from Wivanhoe. Only when they realised that maybe Wivanhoe wont hold all the inflows from its own catchments, that they opened all the gates and clenched their butt cheeks to hope for the best and save the dam (as well as half of Brisbane)...by this stage, the Lockyer levels were already almost merging with the Brisbane River...some 48 hrs after the initial weather event They opened all the gates and this then joined with the pending lower floods. This definately impacted on the final flood heights that were reached.

Lets assume for a moment that Wivanhoe wasnt there during this event and held nothing back. The flows from that catchment (because of its close proximity to Brisbane river) would have primarily already travelled down the Brisbane River prior to the flood reaching the Brisbane River. I dont know how best to give a visual presentation on this....maybe a y-shaped gutter with a short length on one side and a long one on the other, you pour a cup of water into each side at the same time, the shorter side will dispurse the water before the water from the long side reaches the same point, but if you pour water into the long one then wait before pouring into the shorter length, the two flows combine effectively meaning more volume of water coming out the other end.

In effect, what they did was hold back the water (as the above example) and then release it at the most crucial time which merged with the flood waters.

This event cannot be compared to 74 as the weather event that triggered it is not in the same league and lasted much longer.....There was one controllable variable all along in this case and that was flows into Brisbane River from Wivanhoe.

They did a great job at the last minute to save the wall and half of Brisbane, only because in the end they had no choice, if they controlled flows the right way to begin with, then they would be worthy of a pat on the back and more people would have their homes and livelihoods still in order.

[bootyinblue]

If Wivenhoe was not there, the water would have been a 'trickle' compared to what they were forced to release as there would have been no backlog of water at all, only the naturally flowing creek.

Lets hope that they dump some more water before the next deluge which is predicted in approximately 8 weeks time. Some people might say Pffttt.... but I have heard some murmurs from Utilities contacts.

Call me a sceptic, but selling the dam full will achieve a better price than an empty one. I mean you wouldnt buy an empty slab would you?????

[mongrel jack]

Will be interesting to see what the various inquests have to say and I'm no expert and probably a bit naive when it comes to the reasons for this happening having been dealing with the effects this has had on my family rather then reading papers or watching news at the time but; Were the powers that be reluctant to let water out of the dam after so many years of drought? It's an amazing pic but I do have to ask why was it being held back so long? Anything over 100% is flood mitigation right - I know we had significant rain and water logged ground providing record inflows into the catchment in the lead up but surely not 97% worth that was unable to be control released over the time it takes to gather the 97%..... I do understand the Lockyer valley variable thrown into the mix made it an unpredictable situation but can't help thinking what if? I'm not laying blame here just thinking out loud Just my thoughts and there is probably a simple answer.

[goldnugget]

I remember on the radio when the 'inquiry' was first coined. People ringing in saying 'what a waste of money, cant change nature'...if only they knew how close they were to copping it worse the Grantham because of the way the wivanhoe catchment was managed and decisions that were made.

Just remembered too and wanted to clarify my above post..as far as I am aware, the gates at wivanhoe to discharge into the Brisbane river come into play after cosumption capacity exceeds 100 % (Dam capacity being 200%). At the time of the rain event it was at 97%, when it reached the flood gates level (and rising rapidly)they should have opened all gates fully, this would still maintain consumption at 100%, then they should have backed the outflows off once the Lockyer flood reached the Brisbane river before opening them after the peak passed from the Lockyer, this would have resulted in good operational management of a major facility in a dynamicly changing scenario, and levels in the dam wouldnt have reached the levels they did.

The inquiry will be a must, regardless of cost. The management of the facility cannot be managed solely on a 1 or 2 possible scenario basis in a book. All possible models should be examined and evaluated to ensure the best possible outcome when this situation occurs again...they were DAM lucky (pun intended ), it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

[Malcolm]

if this if that bla bla bla sick of hearing keyboard experts :S

[wesfish]

I dont know if these have been posted before, but it shows the power of water to be able to gouge out the cliffs either side of the run and carve up the bottom like this

[attachment=29544]253723-wivenhoe-flood-gates.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=29545]254107-wivenhoe-flood-gates.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=29546]254549-wivenhoe-flood-gates.jpg[/attachment]

here Mal, pic of twin bridges once the water went down a bit, the bridges are still under in the pic

[attachment=29547]253777-fernvale.jpg[/attachment]

going to have to search for new bass spots now, it will be like a totally different river, structure wise.

is it just me but all them rocks moved under the wall look alot like concrete and not stone??

[fishingnut]

if this if that bla bla bla sick of hearing keyboard experts :S

Mate i hear ya

[ellicat]

I dont know if these have been posted before, but it shows the power of water to be able to gouge out the cliffs either side of the run and carve up the bottom like this

here Mal, pic of twin bridges once the water went down a bit, the bridges are still under in the pic

going to have to search for new bass spots now, it will be like a totally different river, structure wise.

is it just me but all them rocks moved under the wall look alot like concrete and not stone??

Definitely looks like some big slabs of concrete busted up to me too.

[wesfish]

I dont know if these have been posted before, but it shows the power of water to be able to gouge out the cliffs either side of the run and carve up the bottom like this

here Mal, pic of twin bridges once the water went down a bit, the bridges are still under in the pic

going to have to search for new bass spots now, it will be like a totally different river, structure wise.

is it just me but all them rocks moved under the wall look alot like concrete and not stone??

Definitely looks like some big slabs of concrete busted up to me too.

if it is i wonder who left the rio out of the budget lol looking at the old pics it is def not stone as there was none that colour!!

[Bommie]

Wes apparently its concrete and stone, used to see the holes in the sides of the cliffs up near the wall before all this happened,

[goldnugget]

if this if that bla bla bla sick of hearing keyboard experts :S

Mate i hear ya

I have simply made my point of view based on facts (not just opinion) and gave an example in the simplest terms I know to back up my statement so people can understand.

Just because I dont work for SEQW and dont have access to people that do make the decisions does not make my point (and others) any less valid.

At the very least people should be informed of what actualy happened to Brisbane and Ipswich and more importantly why so it doesnt happen again.

Only then can people make an informed decision on whether they think SEQW and wivanhoe management did a good job or not, or whether they contributed to the damage that resulted.

Not looking for a crap fight on this topic, just believe that people should be correctly informed.

[mongrel jack]

if this if that bla bla bla sick of hearing keyboard experts :S

Mate i hear ya

I have simply made my point of view based on facts (not just opinion) and gave an example in the simplest terms I know to back up my statement so people can understand.

Just because I dont work for SEQW and dont have access to people that do make the decisions does not make my point (and others) any less valid.

At the very least people should be informed of what actualy happened to Brisbane and Ipswich and more importantly why so it doesnt happen again.

Only then can people make an informed decision on whether they think SEQW and wivanhoe management did a good job or not, or whether they contributed to the damage that resulted.

Not looking for a crap fight on this topic, just believe that people should be correctly informed.

I think we are all entitled to an opinion, however informed or uninformed it is and I never alluded to being an expert (I even said I was probably naive). I thought that a forum like this was the sort of place you could have a discussion without someone who doesn't have a valid or sensible opinion on the topic bagging other people out. If you want to contribute to the topic that's fine and we can all listen but I don't go on this site to be bagged for having my say. Again just my thoughts..... Anyway that's not were the topic started - cheers for the amazing pics!

[goldnugget]

Oh crap pressed the wrong button and had to start again.

I wasnt directing my coment towards you, it was directed to those who said they are 'sick of hearing from keyboard experts'.

Yes I agree everyone is entilted to an opion but the above comments are a blatent slap in the face for myself and others that share a similar view. My comments and posts have always been based on facts right from the start (did I not keep people informed as the event was unfolding and called the pending outcome before it went public?)....stuff it, why bother...For those can keep their heads in the sand get what ever comes their way and dont bother bitching when it goes sour, its been working in state politics so well for so long now, why should this be any diferent.

Enough said,Good bye, good luck.

Feel free to remove my membership.

[rayke1938]

I am sorry to see any member leave no matter what the reason.

I would have left years ago if I took to heart any of the critism about posts that I have made.

Goldnugget I thank you for some of the excellent information that you have given the AFO community and sincerly hope that you stick around and continue to help fellow members,

I watched the events unfold and followed the press statements and had read part of the risk management policy on the dam prior to the event and it appeared to me that the manual was followed,

I did post that SEQ water had deviated from their previous policy of reporting on the capacity of the dam giving actual heights and capacities in megalitres and percentages eg 140% to just giving the heights and megalitres and expressing the dam as 100% full.

Here is a link to the manual that was subsequently released.
/>http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/water/regulation/flood-response/documents/manual-operational-procedures.pdf

I have not read the manual in its entirety and will wait for the results of the proposed enquiry to be published before I comment any more.

Cheers

Ray

[John]

C'mon guys, there are thousands of different personalities on AFO and everyone is entitled to their opinion however we want to make sure it is done in a friendly and cheerful manner. We do not allow offensive, abusive or unfriendly behaviour and foster a community spirit.

We value all our members and as always request that if you feel that a member is not participating on the site in a friendly manner to get in touch (easiest way is to pm or email AFO Admin (admin@australianfishing.com.au) and we will take necessary disciplinary action.

[mongrel jack]

Oh crap pressed the wrong button and had to start again.

I wasnt directing my coment towards you, it was directed to those who said they are 'sick of hearing from keyboard experts'.

Yes I agree everyone is entilted to an opion but the above comments are a blatent slap in the face for myself and others that share a similar view. My comments and posts have always been based on facts right from the start (did I not keep people informed as the event was unfolding and called the pending outcome before it went public?)....stuff it, why bother...For those can keep their heads in the sand get what ever comes their way and dont bother bitching when it goes sour, its been working in state politics so well for so long now, why should this be any diferent.

Enough said,Good bye, good luck.

Feel free to remove my membership.

Mate I'm on your side. I too was sticking it to the people that were basically having a go at US for having an opinion on a forum. Like I said I have no qualification to "judge" what happened and I appreciated your input and at no point did I ever doubt your information. I'm sorry you got the wrong opinion of my comments (after looking at my post again I realised I quoted you as well which gave you the wrong message) but they were never meant to be detrimental to you. I do hope you read this and return to AFO. I have sent you a pm.

MJ

[Bommie]

It's opinions claiming to be facts when they're not, that is the problem.

[AFO]

This thread is straying off-topic now and as such is being locked. Please all remember to participate on this site and towards fellow members in a friendly and positive manner at all times.