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The Wivenhoe Dam seen at 100 per cent capacity. |
SEQWATER has taken a strong stand against potential litigants following the 2011 floods, saying it is confident its case will hold up in court.
Six months after the Flood Inquiry released its final report, Seqwater has finally lodged its formal response.
While up to 5000 people are believed to be involved in a potential class action against it for damages incurred during the floods, Seqwater makes it clear it will not be negotiating on compensation claims.
"Seqwater is confident that its position will be justified if the matter ever comes before a court," the company said in a statement.
The water body says it is acutely aware of the impact of the January 2011 floods and the devastation caused, which is ongoing for many in the state's southeast.
"Seqwater is implementing the recommendations in the Commissions interim and final reports with much of this work already finalised," its says.
SEQWATER has taken a strong stand against potential litigants following the 2011 floods, saying it is confident its case will hold up in court.
Six months after the Flood Inquiry released its final report, Seqwater has finally lodged its formal response.
While up to 5000 people are believed to be involved in a potential class action against it for damages incurred during the floods, Seqwater makes it clear it will not be negotiating on compensation claims.
"Seqwater is confident that its position will be justified if the matter ever comes before a court," the company said in a statement.
The water body says it is acutely aware of the impact of the January 2011 floods and the devastation caused, which is ongoing for many in the state's southeast.
"Seqwater is implementing the recommendations in the Commissions interim and final reports with much of this work already finalised," its says.
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| Seqwater operations manager Robert Drury at Wivenhoe Dam. |
The water provider says the food inquiry "in no way concluded that there was any negligence in Seqwater's management of the January 2011 flood event".
It says Seqwater has not wavered from its belief that its flood engineers - three of whom were referred to the CMC for investigation - did "an extraordinary job in the most difficult and demanding circumstances and that Wivenhoe and Somerset dams were managed appropriately during the January 2011 flood".
It notes the CMC last month determined there was no evidence to suggest any wrong doing by the three engineers in relation to the preparation of reports and evidence provided to the Inquiry.
It also notes a review of Seqwater's own report on the flood by the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was released this week supported the report.
"Seqwater has always taken the view that the operation of Wivenhoe Dam during the January 2011 flood event and the release strategies adopted by its engineers significantly mitigated the flood," the statement read.
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Seqwater dam engineer Terry Malone stood down from his post since appearing at the Flood Inquiry. |
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| Seqwater engineer Robert Ayre leaves court building the on the first day of the Flood Inquiry. |
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| Wivenhoe Dam engineer John Tibaldi leaves the reconvened floods inquiry in Brisbane. |
"The independent expert retained by the Commission, concluded that, in light of the information available at the time and allowing for the limits of the strategies in the Wivenhoe manual, the flood engineers achieved close to the best possible flood mitigation result for the January event.
"Furthermore, four other highly respected independent experts who appeared at the Commission support Seqwater's view that releases actually made by the flood engineers were appropriate and reasonable."
Seqwater said it was important not to lose sight of the magnitude and rarity of the January event.
"It was the largest flood inflows that South East Queensland experienced in more than 100 years."
www.CourierMail.com.au
COMMENT: This is the most-disgraceful public comment made by Seqwater since the devastating flood of 11 January 2011. It is nothing but a mean-spirited, kick-in-the-face for thousands of flood victims in Brisbane and Ipswich. Seqwater knows the Commission of Inquiry found against the Wivenhoe Dam engineers. It knows the engineers escaped prosecution by the CMC, in what would appear to be by the skin of their teeth. And they know the US Army Engineers were hamstrung in their ability to examine all of the evidence before, and the findings of, the Floods Commission of Inquiry. They were not permitted to examine the core issues of negligence, incompetence or non-compliance with the Wivenhoe Dam operating manual. Seqwater CEO Peter Borrows should have known better than to make this media statement. - Greater Goodna Flood Group.
26.9.12
