Hole in Queensland dam prompts evacuations at Talgai
Talgai: A leak in an irrigation dam which prompted evacuations and flood warnings in a southern Queensland town will probably have minimal impact on the area, engineers say.
An emergency warning was issued after a 3.5-metre by 1.5-metre hole formed in the side of the 430-megalitre irrigation dam on the Bolzan family farm on Dalrymple Creek near Talgai, about 30 kilometres north of Warwick.
The dam, which was at maximum capacity, was gushing water and the emergency alert was issued for people in parts of Talgai, with flooding expected to occur between Talgai West Road and Dalrymple
Creek Road.
Several properties were evacuated and other residents were told to leave for higher ground, with dangerous downstream flooding predicted to hit low-lying areas. The Southern Downs Regional Council last night warned people in the area to “protect life [and] evacuate now” as the large irrigation dam on the farm was “expected to fail”.
Overnight, police door-knocked seven nearby properties and residents were evacuated, with a further five properties door-knocked on Saturday morning and residents self-evacuating.
Southern Downs Mayor Tracey
Dobie had said it was feared at least 250 properties might have been affected.
On Saturday morning, the council said in a statement that engineers had assessed the privately owned dam and the impact was now expected to be minimal.
It said water levels in the dam had dropped by approximately half a metre in the three hours since daylight on Saturday.
The council said engineers found the water was discharging at a controlled rate.