The Paradise Dam, also known as the Burnett River Dam, is a roller compacted concrete (RCC) gravity dam across the Burnett River, located between Coringa and Good Night northwest and southwest of in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. Built for irrigation, the impoundment created by the dam is called Lake Paradise. In September 2019, concerns about the structural stability of the dam resulted in the water levels in the dam being lowered to 42% of its maximum capacity. In 2020 a report found that the roller-compacted concrete was "intrinsically incapable" of achieving the required standard for safety. Location and features The concrete dam wall is up to high and spans approximately . The dam is named for the ghost town of Paradise, which is now under water following construction. Approval to build the dam was given in 2002. It was constructed on behalf of the Queensland Government between 2003 and 2005. The dam is owned by a government-owned corporation, Burnett Water. Since construction was completed in December 2005, it has been operated by another Queensland government-owned corporation, Sunwater. Construction of the capacity dam cost A$240 million to complete and was intended to assist the social and economic growth of the region. The dam is also significant in that it has been the centre of a controversial fishway designed to allow movement of fish upstream and downstream of the dam wall, including the endangered Queensland lungfish. When the Paradise Dam is full, water is released over a stepped spillway followed by a stilling basin. The spillway chute is wide with a smooth ogee profile, ending a few small steps leading to 1V:0.64Hstepped chute with a step height of . The chute is followed by a stilling basin before rejoining the natural river course. Between 2010 and 2013, the spillway system passed four major events, thus mitigating the effects of flood in the downstream catchment including the city of Bundaberg. The peak discharges were experienced in December 2010, January 2011, January 2013 and in March 2013. Fishways An upstream fishway, known as the upstream fishlift, was installed on the dam for a cost of $12 million. It consists of a caged container known as the hopper that sits at the downstream base of the dam wall. When operating, water is passed through the hopper to attract fish into it. The hopper is lifted over the dam wall to release any