The Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry Report released yesterday found that a manual governing the operations of a key dam had been ''breached'' - raising the potential for flood victims to launch a class action against the dam operator, Seqwater.

The 658-page report confirmed the Wivenhoe Dam, which is supposed to mitigate flooding, was operated in ''breach of the manual'' from 8am on January 8 until the evening of January 9.

What went wrong ... engineer Robert Ayre.
What went wrong ... engineer Robert Ayre
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Completed just over a week before the state goes to the polls, the report noted that there was inference in a series of documents and reports that the dam was not being operated according to the higher release strategy designed to reduce flooding in Brisbane during the key weekend of January 8-9.

However, the state government inquiry, headed by Justice Catherine Holmes with a budget of more than $15 million, stopped short of confirming the dam's management had caused the flood.

It said that it may ''well be right'' that the flood engineers managed the dam so that the flood mitigation effect was ''very close'' to the maximum.

Questions to answer ... engineer John Tibaldi.
Questions to answer ... engineer John Tibaldi.

The report recommended the Crime and Misconduct Commission should investigate the conduct of flood engineers, John Tibaldi, Robert Ayre and Terry Malone, in connection with the preparation of documents relating to the event - including a brief to the then water minister Stephen Robertson on January 17, 2011 and statements and oral testimony to the commission.

The Premier, Anna Bligh, referred the engineers to the CMC and vowed to implement the report's recommendations ''lock, stock and barrel''. She said that while the report found a breach of the operating manual, it did ''not of itself establish liability''.

Ms Bligh did, however, vow that Seqwater would be a model litigant and, in any claims made against it, people would ''be treated fairly and claims fairly and openly assessed and where appropriate mediated and settled''.

In a press conference after the report's release, Ms Bligh rejected any claims her government had not acted to reduce the level of water in the dam in light of predicted extreme rainfall.

Ms Bligh's political challenger, the Liberal National Party leader, Campbell Newman, said an LNP government would also implement all recommendations.

The inquiry made dozens of recommendations, including that the dam's operating manuals be rewritten, a comprehensive flood study of the Brisbane catchment be undertaken and changes made to planning laws as well as the possible implementation of a process to alert prospective purchasers of property to flood risks.
During the floods, 38 people died and the state was declared a natural disaster area. The cost of recovery has been estimated at more than $6.8 billion, according to the federal government.

An estimated 14,100 Brisbane properties were affected, while in Ipswich about 3000 homes were flood damaged. In Brisbane, the number of residential properties inundated totalled 1203.

For some of those who lost loved ones in the flood, the report is not expected to answer key questions. 

Peter Bromage's younger brother, Robert, 50, died after his vehicle was washed off a flooded road in Ipswich just west of Brisbane on January 11.

''The question we all ask is why did he end up in the water. I spend most of my time thinking about it,'' he said yesterday.