Big win for Queensland’s Flood Warning Infrastructure Network (FWIN)
Queensland’s flood resilience is set to be further strengthened with $7 million worth of new and upgraded assets for the state’s Flood Warning Infrastructure Network (FWIN).
The investment will deliver 170 projects comprising 273 flood warning infrastructure assets across the 23 councils hardest hit by the 2022 Queensland floods, from Balonne through the south-east to Gladstone.
Earlier flood warnings and more comprehensive information will significantly improve our defence against disaster events.
Each council will receive up to $235,000 for their new flood warning infrastructure, with a further $1 million going towards 14 high priority projects recommended by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) within nine of the eligible councils.
Funding is coming from the Australian Government’s $75 million Emergency Response Fund, which is backing numerous local recovery and resilience projects across southern Queensland.
The projects will address local flood warning needs identified by councils, Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads, and BOM for Australia’s National Flood Warning Infrastructure Network Program (NFWINP).
In recent years Queensland has experienced more frequent and intense floods, especially flash flooding, which is why these new Flood Warning Infrastructure Network projects are so crucial.
Councils will use the funding to purchase and install assets such as rainfall and river height gauges, flood cameras, electronic signage, data communication repeaters, and sensor technology, with BOM to take ownership of the assets for the NFWINP after installation.
Councils receiving flood warning infrastructure assets under this latest FWIN investment include Balonne, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cherbourg, Fraser Coast, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gladstone, Gympie, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Moreton Bay, Noosa, North Burnett, Redland, Scenic Rim, Somerset, South Burnett, Southern Down, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, and Western Downs.
The $7 million investment in Queensland’s Flood Warning Infrastructure Network builds on work already done by the Queensland and Australian Governments, councils and the Local Government Association of Queensland, to help keep communities safe during severe weather.
Since 2017 the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) has secured more than $25 million for the state’s FWIN, which features more than 3,300 rainfall and river gauges operated by approximately 60 entities across government and the private sector.
This latest devastating disaster season has again illustrated the need to ensure our Flood Warning Infrastructure Network is robust and fit-for-purpose.
