A damaged section at one of Queensland's largest dams has been uninsured for at least two years and will not be covered until it is fixed.
Fred Haigh Dam, north of Bundaberg, was built in 1975 and has a storage capacity of 560,000 mega litres, making it the third largest of the 18 dams under SunWater's control.
Parts of the dam structure were damaged during a flood in December 2010 and again during the January 2013 floods, which were caused by Tropical Cyclone Oswald.
Although the most pressing repairs had since been completed, SunWater's latest set of financial statements said a small section of the dam was still damaged, creating a gap in insurance coverage until it is fixed.
"Fred Haigh Dam suffered flood damage during 2013. Since the damage [SunWater] has carried out engineering assessments to ascertain the damage and the scale of works required to rectify it," the agency's 2017-18 financial statements read.
"Insurers have conducted site visits and their assessment concluded that the damaged area will not be insured until the damage is repaired.
"As at 30 June there was no present obligation to finalise the works."
A SunWater spokesman said this referred to damage to a scour hole downstream of the dam.
“Downstream scour hole damage at Fred Haigh Dam has been subject to regular monitoring since the December 2010 flood event,” the spokesman said.
“Repairs were not undertaken as investigations showed no immediate dam safety risk. This remains the case and risk continues to be closely monitored.”
Financial statements included in SunWater's 2016-17 annual report also mentioned damage at Fred Haigh Dam, indicating the affected part of the dam has not been insured for at least two years.
"Safety is of utmost importance to SunWater and we have an extensive ongoing surveillance and maintenance program to ensure Fred Haigh Dam – like all of our dams - continues to function as intended," the spokesman said.
"SunWater will progress downstream scour hole repair works as necessary."
SunWater declined to answer specific question about whether the damage created any insurance liability.
"Details of SunWater’s insurance policies are confidential," a spokesman said.
LNP member for Burnett Stephen Bennett questioned why more information was not available about the situation at Fred Haigh Dam.
"It's such an important part of our community and economy and everything," he said.
"You imagine the litigation if something does happen."
Other repairs at Fred Haigh Dam were funded in SunWater's 2016 budget to the tune of $1.9 million.
"During the January 2013 flood event...significant flow passed over the spillway of Fred Haigh Dam, resulting in damage to the spillway discharge channel and the accumulation of a large debris field deposited within the channel of the Kolan River," read SunWater's 2016 network service plan.
Fred Haigh Dam was one of six dams worked on as part of SunWater's safety improvement project between 2006 and 2018.
It is the third largest of SunWater's dams, behind Burdekin Falls and Fairbairn, which have total capacities of 1.9 million ML and 1.3 million ML respectively.
At full supply levels Fred Haigh Dam, also known as Lake Monduran, covers a surface area of 5345 hectares.
SunWater recently kicked-off stakeholder consultations for the Paradise Dam improvement program, the most pressing of 18 planned dam infrastructure upgrades slated for the next 10 years.
