Did the reservoir engineers act incompently during the 2011 Brisbane River flood event?

This video begins with a discussion about the experience that the reservoir engineers operating Wivenhoe and Somerset Dams upstream of Brisbane, Australia experienced. These engineers wrote a paper titled The Dam Truth to give their side of the story since the lawsuit against SeqWater, SunWater, and the State of Queensland has now finished. This lawsuit dealt with the operation of Wivenhoe Dam and Somerset Dam during the 2011 Brisbane River flood.

The video then moves into a discussion about the myth that dams can prevent all flooding or that dams can prevent most flooding.

Inflow, outflow, and pool elevations from Wivenhoe Dam during the 2011 floods are examined and a discussion of the method of reservoir operations used at the dam is covered.

The three questions examined in this video are:

1. Should the reservoir engineers have drawn the pool down into the supply pool based on rainfall forecasts?

2. How were the release strategies at Wivenhoe and Somerset determined?

3. How does the balancing between Wivenhoe Dam and Somerset Dam work?

This video also covers the concect of full supply level and the difference between a constant full supply level and a variable full supply level, which is also know as a seasonal pool.

The purpose of this video is to answer the question, "Were the reservoir engineers competent in their operations of Wivenhoe Dam and Somerset Dam during the 2011 flood event."

The video also examines the role that development in the floodplain along the Brisbane River has in the magnitude of the damages experienced. This video is helpful to give the view an understanding of reservoir operations during a flood, and it covers topics such as spillway opening, the basics of reservoir operations, and how a water control manual should be written.

A passage from the book, " A River with a City Problem", is used to illustrate the issue of development in the floodplain in the Brisbane River Ssytem.

Topics in this video include:

1. Spillway operations
2. How do spillways work
3. How are reservoirs operated
4. Am I safe living below a dam
5. How are reservoirs operated
6. Will I flood below a dam
7. Do dams prevent all flooding
8. What are dams used for
9. What is supply storage in a dam
10. What is conservation storage in a dam
11. Does drinking water come from dams
12. Why do some dams have multiple spillways
13. How are dams operated
14. What was the Brisbane River lawsuit about
15. Was Wivenhoe Dam operated properly
16. Was Somerset Dam operated properly
17. Why did Brisbane flood
18. Is Brisbane built on a floodplain
19. Is Brisbane too close to the river