Emergency Contact
Home News Seqwater working with BoM to monitor potential rainfall from Cyclone Oma

Seqwater working with BoM to monitor potential rainfall from Cyclone Oma

Updated: 9.30am, 23 Feb 2019

The Seqwater Flood Operations Centre has moved to stand down.

Seqwater advises rainfall forecasts from the BoM indicate releases are not required from Somerset, Wivenhoe or North Pine dams. Previous alerts from Seqwater are now cancelled.

No further updates for this weather event will be issued and Seqwater’s Flood Operations Centre is no longer active.

 

Updated: 11am, 22 Feb 2019

Seqwater has advised that floodwater releases from Wivenhoe Dam – as a result of rainfall generated from Cyclone Oma – are not likely to occur with the weather system now downgraded to a Category 1.

Seqwater is continuing to work closely with the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) to monitor the cyclone and it’s predicted rainfall.

Based on the latest forecast, about 15mm of rain is predicted across the Wivenhoe catchment over the weekend.

Given the dry conditions, there would need to be about 200mm of rain needed across the catchment for the water storage to fill and trigger floodwater releases.

The Seqwater website, which is updated regularly, shows that Wivenhoe is currently at 62.6% of its water storage capacity. Somerset Dam is at 75.0%. The floodwater storage compartments are fully available.

Depending upon inflows, Seqwater may carry out routine releases from Somerset Dam into Wivenhoe Dam to balance the amount of water between the dams.

Seqwater has been working with local water retailers and councils, as well as Energy Queensland, and is ready to manage any potential impacts the wind and rain may have on water treatment plants, pump stations and reservoirs.

South East Queensland residents can be alerted of floodwater releases from gated dams, or dams which are spilling, through Seqwater’s free dam release notification service and the Seqwater app.

To sign up for Seqwater’s dam release notification service, visit www.seqwater.com.au/dam-release-information-service 


 

12pm, 21 Feb 2019

Seqwater is working closely with the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) to monitor Cyclone Oma.

Based on the current BoM forecast, it is unlikely Seqwater will release water from Wivenhoe Dam.

The Seqwater website, which is updated regularly, shows that Wivenhoe is currently at 62.7% of its water storage capacity. Somerset Dam is at 75.2%. The floodwater storage compartments are fully available.

Given the dry conditions, there would need to be rainfall of about 200mm across the Wivenhoe catchment over the weekend for the water storage to fill. Floodwater releases would then be triggered.

Depending upon inflows, Seqwater may carry out routine releases from Somerset Dam into Wivenhoe Dam to balance the amount of water between the dams.

Seqwater is working with local water retailers and councils, as well as Energy Queensland, to manage any potential impacts the wind and rain may have on water treatment plants, pump stations and reservoirs.

South East Queensland residents can be alerted of floodwater releases from gated dams, or dams which are spilling, through Seqwater’s free dam release notification service and the Seqwater app.

To sign up for Seqwater’s dam release notification service, visit www.seqwater.com.au/dam-release-information-service

 

Any questions?

For all media enquiries, please contact a member of our media team by phone or email:

07 3247 3000

[email protected]

More from Seqwater