Are you wet season ready?

Queenslanders are being urged to remain vigilant and prepared for the upcoming wet season. 

While the Bureau of Meteorology have predicted a drier than average wet season, it does not decrease the risk of significant rain events, tropical lows and cyclones. 

After five successive active wet seasons, many Sunwater dams will start this season at healthy storage levels.  

Sunwater Executive General Manager Operations and Customers Colin Bendall said community safety was the number one priority during the wet season. 

“Sunwater’s focus is to ensure dams and weirs are managed safely and in accordance with their emergency action plans,” he said. 

“Twelve of our dams are still at over 80 per cent capacity, so even modest rainfall could result in spills much sooner than expected. 

“We monitor all our dams for outflows and safety hazards and talk directly with local authorities and emergency services, while also providing updates to the community. 

“This wet season we encourage people living downstream of dams to familiarise themselves with how their catchment works and where the water flows.”  

Sunwater dams are not designed to provide downstream flood mitigation and are designed to safely pass flood waters once their capacity is reached.  

“In a major weather event, water can come from different areas within a catchment even when dams are not spilling,” Mr Bendall said. 

“When water does flow over a dam spillway, it is simply water passing that would normally flow through the catchment.” 

Downstream residents and the wider community can check dam level information on the Sunwater website or by downloading the Sunwater App. 

Important information is available on local council emergency dashboards, while the Bureau of Meteorology provides forecast weather and rainfall updates. 

Mr Bendall said Sunwater is well prepared for the wet season, focused on safe operations across all our service areas in regional Queensland. 

“Our teams have undertaken readiness activities in preparation for the wet season, including training, dam siren testing and ensuring resourcing and equipment is available,” he said. 

“Our people take great pride looking after each other and the community and have been working hard to be ready for whatever may eventuate.” 

There are several groups working together to keep Queenslanders safe during the wet season. 

Local Disaster Management Groups are typically chaired by mayors and are made up of representatives from emergency and government services such as the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Fire Service, housing, health, transport, and main roads and Sunwater. 

By working together, all parties ensure community safety is the number one priority during flood or dam emergencies.