Flood storage capacity of Wivenhoe Dam was ‘just about used up’ before rainfall eased

The Wivenhoe Dam’s flood storage capacity was “just about used up” on Sunday afternoon before the weather system began to ease in south-east Queensland, according to The Australian’s National Chief Correspondent Hedley Thomas. “If the rain had stayed just around a few more hours, dumping at the intensity we saw in Brisbane … then the gates would have had to have been opened and phenomenal releases of water, in excess of 6000 cubic metres per second, would have had to be released,” he told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “The rain is coming, we know it’s coming … why would you operate a dam the most powerful, the most dangerous and valuable piece of public infrastructure in the state of Queensland without regard to weather forecasts.”