Fairbairn Dam on the rise

Di Stanley | 5th February 2010

ON THE RISE: 100,000 megalitres of floodwaters will bring Fairbairn Dam close to lipping the spillway.

SUNWATER is expecting up to 100,000 megalitres of floodwaters to spill into the Fairbairn Dam in the next 24 hours, bringing levels tantalisingly close to lipping the spillway.

Yesterday afternoon, Bedford Weir crested with further flows from the Nogoa and Mackenzie river systems expected on a weekend where thunderstorms and showers are forecast for the Central Highlands.

“Fairbairn Dam is rising steadily at around 30cm every 24 hours and we expect it to rise another half to one metre within the next 24 hours,” a SunWater spokesperson said.

Rolleston is bracing for its second flood peak this morning, before the Comet River should start to slowly recede.

“Everyone’s fine and in good spirits,” said Senior Constable Andrew Donohue.

“Most of the people here are used to this sort of thing, and while it is major flooding, there’s been no real dramas.

“We’ve got a couple of trucks coming through Comet with food, but our bread, milk and mail all come from Springsure and there’s no way to get that now because the road is still closed and it’s too shallow for the flood boat.”

Connemarra property owners Joyce and Mark Comiskey live near Glenlee Bridge, in the Fairbairn Dam catchment area west of Springsure.

Yesterday morning it was submerged under 1.2m of floodwater running down from Mantuan Downs.

“In the 2008 floods, we had water two feet under our house and we were completely cut off on a little island and that got a bit scary, but this is comfortable; we’ve seen it at this level a number of times,” said Joyce.

“We can get out on the Springsure side, but another 50cm and we’re stuck.”

Farmers and graziers alike took heed of the wet weather forecast last weekend and stampeded into Emerald to stock up on the supermarket essentials.

One of Joyce’s neighbours on Echo Hills had her high school-aged children choppered into Emerald ahead of the deluge, while in Rolleston students on outlying properties have had the week off with only the Arcadia Valley bus running.

At the Gemfields, a further 61mm of rain on Tuesday night had locals anxiously watching Retreat Creek at Sapphire, while in Rubyvale, it was eyes on Policeman’s Creek.

Neither threatened to breach its banks, and are today on the wane.

A Mackay family group with a TV and plenty of two-minute noodles to keep them going, and an estimated 10 locals, remain stranded in the Washpool fossicking area.

Sergeant Brad Cowell said even when the creek came down, the road had been washed out.

The rainfall across the Central Highlands and Bowen Basin has only minimally impacted on the majority of coal mining operations.

Xstrata reported no problems at its Rolleston mine, and BMA confirmed weekend rain suspended mining at its Peak Downs, Goonyella Riverside, Poitrel and South Walker Creek operations for 24 hours.

Ensham Mine general manager of operations Rowan Munro said the open-cut site received 45 to 60 mm of rain between Saturday and Wednesday.

“Production is continuing but there have been some minor temporary interruptions,” he added.

“Rainfall at the mine has been contained on site and there is no risk to the mine’s levees.”