$26 million recovery program for waterways damaged by 2022 floods
More than $26 million in Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) will support crucial recovery works for Queensland waterways, gullies and riverbanks impacted by severe floods in 2022.
Jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments, Stage 2 of the Riverine Recovery Program will fund 43 riverine rehabilitation projects stretching from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Gold Coast.
The projects will repair waterways that feed into some of Queensland’s most valuable marine environments, including Moreton Bay and the Southern Great Barrier Reef.
Repairing the waterways is essential to their recovery and supporting some of Queensland’s threatened and protected aquatic species including the Mary River turtle, Mary River cod, and the Australian lungfish.
To be completed over three years, the works will stabilise banks to minimise erosion, establish aquatic habitat, and plant additional vegetation to build longer term resilience against future severe weather events.
Led by local groups such as natural resource management groups and bulk water utilities, the projects will also improve water quality and biodiversity and support local jobs in regions across Queensland.
Impacted waterways where work will be carried out include:
- Flinders River flowing to the Gulf of Carpentaria
- Fitzroy River, West Hill Creek, Mary River and tributaries flowing to the southern Great Barrier Reef
- North Pine River, Logan River, Lockyer Creek, Bremer River, Brisbane River and Kedron Brook flowing to Moreton Bay
- Gowrie Creek in the Murray Darling River system, and Nerang River and Tallebudgera Creek on the Gold Coast
The Riverine Recovery Program is one of four programs delivered through the $38.9 million Environmental Recovery Program, activated through the DRFA, to support rehabilitation and restoration of rain and flood-affected environments.
Along with the Riverine Recovery Program, the suite of programs delivered through Environmental Recovery Program includes the Weeds and Pest Management Program, the Biodiversity Conservation Program, and the Environmental Assets Program.
The full list of successful projects being undertaken in Stage 2 of the Riverine Recovery Program is available here.