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Brisbane River flood Alice Street Goodna on Thursday
13 January 2011 looking east from near Church Street,
showing flood debris line. Kaleidoscope Kids Child
Care Centre is on the left near the floodwater.
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A SENIOR Seqwater executive has defended the writing of a critical March report by four dam engineers accused of mismanagement of the Wivenhoe Dam during last January's floods.
Seqwater general manager of water delivery Jim Pruss has taken the stand Saturday morning at the flood inquiry to explain his role in the preparation of the report released in early March 2011.
The report is at the core of serious accusations levelled against the four engineers alleged to have disobeyed the dam manual and used low release strategies during the critical January 8/9 weekend before the flood peak last January 13.
Counsel assisting Peter Callaghan has directly accused the engineers inside the inquiry of confecting the March report to cover their tracks.
Mr Callaghan has also questioned why the engineers created a "retrospective'' report by going over old data instead of recalling exactly what occurred.
Mr Pruss told the inquiry he had played a supportive role in the creation of the report and acted in "a governance role".
He said there appeared to be no previous blue print to prepare such a report.
The only thing similar was done more than a decade ago in 1999 and was "a completely different beast".
During the report's preparation the dam engineers would meet and decide on a process to meet the deadline which only allowed one month's preparation, he said.
"We were really kicking this around in interactive sessions.''
Mr Callaghan said there were concerns the report was compiled with reference to data without any attempt to capture any personal recollections of the dam engineers.
Mr Callaghan asked whether Mr Pruss agreed there was the danger of a "displacement" effect in the retrospective manner in which the report was prepared.
"The record... might displace unrecorded memories of the engineers,'' he said.
"I agree that is possible,'' Mr Pruss said.
www.CourierMail.com.au
11.2.12
