Ipswich council has installed new, tougher gauges and a network of cameras across the city to prepare for future disasters, following two severe flooding events in 2022.
Flood cameras have been installed at key Ipswich locations, with eleven cameras now operational. Live images are updated every 15 minutes and can be accessed online for free through council’s Disaster Dashboard.
Environment and Sustainability Committee Chairperson and Division 4 Councillor, Russell Milligan, said, “They are convenient and potentially lifesaving as residents can instantly access these cameras online to view key waterways and if local roads are about to be cut off by rising flood waters.”
Gauges damaged by the February 2022 floods have also been replaced.
Division 4 Councillor Kate Kunzelmann said new and more resilient flood gauges were installed in September 2022 at two of the city’s hardest hit areas, Colleges Crossing and Karalee.
“Junction Road in Karalee and Colleges Crossing Recreation Reserve were completely inundated with floodwaters, resulting in failure of monitoring hardware in those flood gauges,” Cr Kunzelmann said.
“The new gauges have been designed to be more resilient to water damage, and they will help Council to supply accurate information to residents and authorities as part of a more robust system.”
The State Government’s Queensland Reconstruction Authority approved funding of more than $49,000 each for the flood gauges at Colleges Crossing and at Karalee.
Assistance was provided through the jointly-funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Ipswich Mayor, Teresa Harding, said the city now has a robust and reliable data capture system.
“Over several weeks in late 2022, contractors constructed towering masts and installed temporary cameras at almost a dozen sites near significant Ipswich waterway crossings,” Mayor Harding said.
“Ipswich is no stranger to natural disasters, and Council is aware the city has a high flood risk and that severe flooding will occur again and affect many communities across the city.
“By checking the Disaster Dashboard, combined with near real-time data provided by flood gauges, residents can make decisions about their travel and not place themselves in risky situations where water may be about to, or is already, blocking road access.”
Cr Milligan said Council is focused on ensuring the region is better prepared for future natural disasters.
“In addition to flood recovery, Council will plan to spend almost $3 million on flood preparedness and waterway recovery, flood mitigation and drainage across Ipswich,” Cr Milligan said.
