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Victoria is toasting a major Milestone
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with our dams full for the first time in
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a generation I got to ask you Keith you
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got a A dodgy Dam built by labor you got
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all of these people horticulturalists
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region deep in the heart of Queensland
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Australia along the Tranquil Bernett
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River stands a dam with a dark and
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tragic history Paradise Dam what once
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prom to be a shining example of modern
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engineering a Lifeline to Farmers and
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communities has instead become one of
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the nation's greatest infrastructure
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failures in 2005 when Paradise dam was
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first constructed it was seen as a
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Beacon of Hope at a cost of $240 million
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Australian dollars it was designed to
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secure the future of queensland's
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agricultural industry providing much
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needed water to crops farms and
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shielding local towns from devastating
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floods but what was supposed to stand
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for over a century is now deemed doomed
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and completely Beyond repair it was in
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2013 just 8 years after its construction
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that the cracks in this dream began to
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show Queensland was hit by one of the
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worst floods in its history the Bernett
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River surged with a record-breaking
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flood exposing fatal flaw in the Dam's
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structure the dam survived but only just
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over 20 $23 million were spent repairing
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the damage but it wasn't enough despite
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the repairs the structural Integrity of
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paradise Dam continued to weaken the dam
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which was supposed to protect the region
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became a ticking Time Bomb for the
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Downstream fears grew that the dam might
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collapse under extreme weather
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conditions threatening not just Farms
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communities by 2020 the situation had
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become dire in an attempt to avoid
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catastrophe the Dam's wall was lowered
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by 5.8 M reducing its capacity by a
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staggering 60% for the farmers this was
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a devastating blow with less water their
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crops suffered and livelihoods were put
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at risk Australia a land known for its
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harsh droughts had lost one of its most
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precious resources Paradise Dam once
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seen as a protector of Agriculture now
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stood as a symbol of UN certainty and
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failure and yet the worst was still to
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come in 2023 after years of debate and
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pressure the government committed $1.2
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billion to restore the dam to its former
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capacity but the dream was shortlived as
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Engineers worked to strengthen the dam
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they made a shocking Discovery the
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concrete used in its construction had
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started to disintegrate the very
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Foundation of paradise Dam was crumbling
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investigations revealed that the
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concrete mix used was of poor quality
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containing too much clay and too little
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cement this made the dam vulnerable to
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moisture causing the concrete to swell
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and Shrink further weakening the
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structure tests confirmed the worst
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fears Paradise dam was beyond repair the
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concrete had degraded far faster than
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anyone had anticipated after millions of
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dollars invested in building and
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attempting to fix the Dam the only
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solution was clear abandon Paradise Dam
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new the government has decided to build
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a new dam 70 M Downstream from the
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original but will this new dam succeed
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where its predecessor failed the
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engineers must ensure it can withstand
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the floods and changing climate
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conditions that Queensland will face in
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the coming decades it's a high stakes
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project with no room for mistakes but
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not everyone is convinced
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environmentalists are worried about the
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impact of building another massive Dam
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on the Bernett River's ecosystem the
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river is home to many species including
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the endangered Queensland lungfish which
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depends on the natural flow of the river
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for survival the construction of the
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first Dam already destroyed habitats and
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submerged entire communities will
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history repeat itself as plans for the
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new dam take shape questions remain can
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the new dam be built quickly enough to
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protect the region will it be able to
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withstand the extreme floods that are
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becoming more frequent due to climate
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change and most importantly will it
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restore water security to the farmers
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who depend on it the story of paradise
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Dam serves as a stark reminder of the
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risks that come with large-scale
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infrastructure projects what was
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supposed to be a Cornerstone of
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prosperity for Queensland has become a
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cautionary tale yet there is still hope
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if the lessons of the past are heated
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the new dam could secure the future of
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the region and stand as a test M to
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human resilience and Ingenuity as we
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move forward Paradise Dam's failure will
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be remembered not just for the lives it
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endangered but for the opportunity it
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offers to rebuild stronger smarter and
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more sustainably what are your thoughts
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on rebuilding Paradise Dam can we learn
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from the mistakes of the past and create
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something that will truly last leave
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your thoughts in the comments below and
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make sure to subscribe to I am civil
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engineer for more stories about
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engineering Marvels and their challenges
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from around the world thank you for
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watching and we'll see you in the next
