North Pine Dam is one of several dams to be upgraded as part of Seqwater's Dam Improvement Program.  

Dams are life-long assets which require continual assessment, monitoring and maintenance. The upgrade will ensure North Pine Dam continues to operate safely in the future and provides water security for generations to come.  

The required upgrades reflect advances in dam design, as well as updated safety guidelines and engineering standards since the dam was built in 1976. 

Planning for the dam improvement project is underway. An Options Analysis is currently in development, and investigations continue to determine the recommended option to progress the North Pine Dam Improvement Project to the Detailed Business Case stage.

Seqwater has identified that staged strengthening is an opportunity to deliver some benefits in advance of the permanent structural upgrade as part of the North Pine Dam Improvement Project.  

Staged strengthening will reinforce sections of the main dam (excluding the spillway) in advance of a permanent structural upgrade.  

This will involve installing post-tensioned anchors vertically through sections of the dam wall and into the rock foundation below. Anchoring of dams is an industry-accepted strategy to enhance structural stability.

All Seqwater dams within the Dam Improvement Program continue to operate safely.

Seqwater undertakes regular monitoring and engineering assessments to ensure all our dams continue to operate safely.   

This upgrade is about ensuring the long-term viability of this important asset for the region. 

Seqwater is taking further precautionary action to enhance safety at North Pine Dam during the wet season by lowering the lake to manage large spill events and catchment inflows.

The North Pine Dam Improvement Project design, planning and approval phases are expected to take several years and require consultation with a large number of stakeholders.  

While these activities are underway, delivering post-tensioned anchors allows Seqwater to enhance the strength of the dam wall early, ensuring it continues to operate safely in extreme weather events into the future.  

Anchoring dams is an industry-accepted strategy to enhance structural stability. Seqwater is investing in enhanced safety at North Pine Dam now, and into the future through its Dam Improvement Program.  

The strengthening works will be designed to integrate with the permanent structural improvement options for North Pine Dam. 

North Pine Dam continues to operate safely. The dam is regularly inspected, is in good condition, and continues to operate normally.   

The existing dam can withstand rare and extreme floods including possible inflows much greater than the January 2011 flood. However, with a large population living downstream of North Pine Dam, it's important we take measures to ensure the dam’s ongoing safety into the future, including against the largest possible flood we can estimate which has evolved since the dam was built.  

Strengthening the dam wall will allow the dam greater capacity to withstand the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF). 

While planning is underway for a major dam upgrade at this site, this innovative solution will deliver safety benefits sooner.

Construction is expected to commence in 2025.  

The North Pine Dam Staged Strengthening is a $69.6M project to deliver enhanced dam safety benefits.

Seqwater recognises that releases from North Pine Dam during flood events can inundate or prolong the closure of Youngs Crossing, which can cause significant disruption for the local community. 

We appreciate the community’s patience when we do need to release water in accordance with the Manual of Operational Procedures for Flood Mitigation at North Pine Dam during weather events. 

City of Moreton Bay is working to upgrade Youngs Crossing where it crosses the North Pine River. To find out more information about Youngs Crossing Upgrade visit www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Services/Projects/Roads/Youngs-Crossing 

Seqwater will continue to liaise with City of Moreton Bay regarding Youngs Crossing during the dam improvement project, and when releases from North Pine Dam need to occur. The Manual of Operational Procedures for Flood Mitigation at North Pine Dam will also be updated as required throughout the dam improvement project.  

Note: Outflows from Sideling Creek Dam have the ability to inundate Young Crossing without flood releases from North Pine Dam. 

Lowering the water level in a dam reduces water pressure and loads on the dam wall, allows safe personnel access to areas that are normally underwater, and can also create a buffer to mitigate inflows and reduce flows over the spillway during construction. 

This is an industry-accepted practice to manage dam safety and demonstrates commitment to the ongoing safety of dam infrastructure.

On 28 January 2025, Seqwater enacted a Reduced Full Supply Level for North Pine Dam. The new level equates to a storage percentage of approximately 54% capacity. This new level will remain in place until dam improvement work is completed on North Pine Dam.

At full supply, North Pine Dam represents approximately 10% of the total South East Queensland Water Grid. 

SEQ has a safe, reliable and resilient water supply system, stemming from careful and ongoing water security planning and a diverse asset base which allows Seqwater to supplement supply in a timely way when needed.

The temporary reduced level does not significantly impact the long-term water supply security for the region. 

North Pine Dam is operated primarily to provide water supply for residents of South East Queensland.  

The original purpose of the dam did not extend to mitigation of flooding in the Pine River. There is limited storage capacity above the Operational Full Supply Level for the temporary storage of the flood water to pass floods to protect the safety of the dam.  

The level of flood mitigation is influenced by several factors including inflows from the catchment, the design capacity of the flood compartment and the additional spare capacity in the dam. 

Investigations determined that North Pine Dam has limited potential to improve flood mitigation, and flood mitigation will not form part of the design criteria for the North Pine Dam Improvement Project.  

The dam continues to operate under the current Manual of Operational Procedures for Flood Mitigation at North Pine Dam Revision 12 (December 2023). 

While the Staged Strengthening project is still in procurement to appoint a construction contractor, it is expected that the community will experience some impacts from the works when construction commences.

Residents and visitors can expect to see an increased number of workers around the lake and local area, short-term traffic and access disruptions, as well as minor noise, dust and vibration. 

More information regarding potential impacts and proposed mitigation will be known upon appointment of the head contractor. 

The staged strengthening and North Pine Dam Improvement Project will complete assessments to confirm potential environmental and sustainability impacts and will determine opportunities to mitigate.  

Seqwater recognises the impact that projects can have on the local environment, and we are committed to protecting the natural surrounds and recreational facilities that allow for community enjoyment.  

Seqwater works closely with local land care groups and seeks to continue these partnerships as we progress our planning. 

The project team will also work with internal and external experts to ensure we meet legislative and regulatory requirements at the Commonwealth, Queensland, and local government levels. 

We are committed to helping shape healthy catchments and environments at our lakes for generations to come. 

Recreation areas are not anticipated to be impacted as part of the Staged Strengthening project. 

Depending on the upgrade option for the main dam upgrade, there may be potential impacts to recreation facilities at North Pine Dam. We will engage with local residents regarding any potential impacts once more information on the broader dam upgrade is known. 

Dams in Queensland were built to high, internationally accepted safety standards. However, many of the dams were built some decades ago and the methodologies and data used to estimate extreme rainfall events and flooding impacts have significantly improved, and industry understanding of engineering standards and risks have progressed. 

Seqwater’s Dam Improvement Program is ensuring the long-term viability and safety of its referable dams, so they can continue to: 

- safely pass excess volumes of water during periods of extreme rainfall 
- meet modern engineering design standards 
- comply with the safety requirements set out in the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 (Qld). 

Across Queensland and Australia, there are multiple dam upgrades occurring to meet modern engineering standards and comply with regulatory safety requirements. 

North Pine Dam is one of a number of dams across South East Queensland identified for upgrade as part of Seqwater’s Dam Improvement Program.

Seqwater reduced the Full Supply Level for North Pine Dam following further assessments of the potential safety risks associated with rare and extreme flood events. 

Lowering the full supply level for the dam until an upgrade is completed is a precautionary measure, which will help reduce the safety risks associated with rare and extreme flood events, beyond which the dam has experienced to date. 

North Pine Dam is in good structural condition and continues to safely operate. 

On 27 December 2019, Seqwater enacted a Reduced Full Supply Level for North Pine Dam (as part of the North Pine Dam Improvement Project) to 36m (or 68% storage capacity).

On 28 January 2025, Seqwater enacted a new Reduced Full Supply Level for North Pine Dam to a storage percentage of approximately 54% capacity (or 34m). 

Seqwater recently reviewed the North Pine Dam risk assessment and has made changes to the Emergency Action Plan (EAP) and response levels. While North Pine Dam continues to operate safely, Seqwater will take further precautionary action to enhance safety this wet season by lowering Lake Samsonvale to manage large spill events and catchment inflows. 

It’s important to be prepared in the event of an emergency, and the changes to the EAP would see an emergency response activated earlier.  

Lowering the Full Supply Level of dams is an accepted and long-established way of reducing the safety risks associated with rare and extreme flood events. The reduced Full Supply Level assists to reduce the peak lake level in the dam for potential flood events in the future.

At the original full supply level, North Pine Dam has a capacity of approximately 214,300 ML or around 10% of the total volume of all SEQ water storages. 

North Pine Dam contributes 6% to the bulk water supply network but also provides resilience to the scheme. 

The reduced level does not significantly impact the long-term water supply security for the region. 

Periodic reviews will continue until the dam is upgraded to ensure dam safety, water supply and long-term water security are appropriately managed. 

Seqwater is currently undertaking an Options Analysis to carefully assess overall upgrades for North Pine Dam to increase the dam’s capability to withstand extreme weather and continue to perform safely.  

While the options analysis and detailed planning for the main dam upgrade continues, Seqwater has identified an opportunity to undertake early strengthening works to the dam wall. These works are expected to commence in 2025. 

Once complete, the upgrades will reduce risks associated with extreme weather events, achieve regulatory compliance, and ensure the continued reliability of this water source for the South East Queensland region for years to come.