Thursday, February 17, 2011

Nearly To The Top


This isn't one of mine - I was forwarded this photo by email the other day. It shows how close the water in Wivenhoe Dam got to the top of the dam wall during the floods last month. If the water ever reaches the top, there is an emergency "plug" built into the design of the embankment wall. The idea is that the water reaching the top triggers the erosion of the plug, effectively acting as another gate for the water to escape.

Wivenhoe Dam is about 80kms upstream from the centre of Brisbane and holds 2.6 cubic kilometres of water.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is amazing! Thanks for sharing.

Annie said...

Yes, it is a great photo isn't it?

Someone also forwarded it to me too, I wonder who actually took it?

Brissiemum2 said...

Yikes! I heard rumours that it was even fuller than what they publicised but who knows how true that is. That photo makes it look very scary though!

Kim said...

Just been browsing through all the flood photos. What a mess! I'm wondering how a friend in Brisbane is faring. Thanks for chronicling this.

Julie said...

It had occurred to me quite early in January that there was a potential problem with the location of this dam. I am convinced that, in the tropics, a dam should not be both for flood AND for drought.

Wonderful photograph!

Dianne said...

This a a very telling photo ~ imagine all that water.
"Adelaide and Beyond"

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