2022 – The 2022 floods in South-East Queensland

Chris Nielsen, Ron Guppy, Rob Fowden, Mark Banks, Donna Dunn
Department of Regional Development Manufacturing and Water, Queensland Government

The February to March 2022 flooding event impacted 32 major dams in South East Queensland. Eleven dams experienced floods of record, but there was also damage and disruption to many smaller dams. Significant and widespread flooding occurred, affecting infrastructure and populated areas downstream of these dams.

The paper describes the event from the perspective of the state’s dam safety regulator who is responsible for setting and enforcing dam safety and emergency response standards.

In general, the actions taken by dam owners leading up to and during the event reflected a mature and capable cohort. Emergency response activities again highlighted the criticality of clear communications and roles and responsibilities agreed to well prior to event commencement. No referable dams experienced structural damage sufficient to raise immediate dam safety concerns. This reflects an effective dam safety management framework delivered by well trained, capable dam owners.