Flood Warning Gauge Network delivering resilience for Queensland

Ongoing flood events, such as those recently seen in much of Central, Western, Northern and Far North Queensland, continue to remind us about the need for catchment-based solutions that consider the distribution and maintenance of flood warning infrastructure, as well as the efficient sharing of information during flood events.

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Flooding is the number one disaster risk in Queensland. That is why it has been so important for us to work together to ensure communities in flood-prone areas have better access to timely and accurate flood warnings.

In 2015, a state-wide Network Performance Review identified the Bureau of Meteorology uses data from more than 3400 rainfall and river gauges owned and operated by more than 50 entities.

Since 2016, more than 50 stakeholder workshops have been held across the state, involving local governments, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and the Bureau of Meteorology. These workshops have been hugely successful and helped to identify 1200 gauges that were not readily visible to all stakeholders. Workshop discussions also helped identify priority locations for additional further early flood warning infrastructure such as rainfall and stream flow gauges, and cameras on bridges.

The flood gauge network investment plans provide Queensland catchments with a strategic direction for new and improved flood gauge asset management on a local and catchment scale, which will benefit all stakeholders in the following ways:

  • future network improvements will be of a standard approved by the Bureau
  • related transmission of data will be suitable for use by the Bureau
  • real-time visibility of data relevant to local governments, the State Disaster Coordination Centre and the Bureau.

QRA’s Resilience and Recovery Team would like to thank everyone involved in their stakeholder workshops and the development of the network investment plans.

QRA continues to work collaboratively with individual councils, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and Regional Organisations of Councils to support the installation, commissioning and maintenance of flood warning systems across Queensland.