The recently released Brisbane River Catchment Flood Study is the most detailed and comprehensive flood study ever undertaken in Australia and will provide a greater understanding of the Brisbane River’s behaviour across four council areas in South East Queensland.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Jackie Trad said the Flood Study incorporated 170 years of historical rainfall data and investigated 11,340 scenarios that influence flooding.
“This was an incredibly comprehensive process involving more than 50,000 computer simulations, which has helped us produce Australia’s first ever whole of catchment flood study,” Ms Trad said.
“The Brisbane River catchment area spans more than 13,500 square kilometres with the floodplain downstream of Wivenhoe Dam spanning the four local government areas of Brisbane, Ipswich, Somerset and Lockyer Valley.
“The Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry recommended this study because there is currently no single flood model that councils can use that provided a common and consistent basis for land-use planning, disaster management and building community resilience.
“This study provides a comprehensive analysis of a range of potential flood events, which is a critical first step towards developing a strategy that will set out flood resilience options for the region.”
Completed early this year, the Brisbane River Catchment Flood Study comprises more than 2,900 pages of technical information, as well as digital models, maps and charts.
The technical information from the Flood Study will be used by government agencies and industry bodies that require the latest information on Brisbane River flooding.
Engineers Australia, Queensland President Chris Nielsen FIEAust CPEng NER said that the Flood Study is ground breaking work that sets an international benchmark.
“The methodologies and technologies applied in the Flood Study, including those recommended in the 2016 release of Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) guidelines, represent a significant step forward in how we analyse and assess risks associated with flooding.
“This isn’t just world’s best practice, as the work encapsulated in this Study is a global benchmark that will direct how flood studies around the world are performed from now on.
“The next big challenge for Queensland is how we apply this knowledge: the future Brisbane River Strategic Floodplain Management Plan will focus on how we can prepare for and manage a range of possible flood events with greater efficiency and coordination, then local floodplain management plans will be developed.
“How the various stakeholders coordinate into a single regulatory framework for floodplain management and emergency response to fully utilise the great work achieved so far is critical to success.”
The flood models developed as a result of the study have been verified against the flood events that occurred in 1974, 2011 and 2013 and endorsed by an independent panel of experts.
Lockyer Valley Regional Council Mayor Tanya Milligan said that the Flood Study was vital for community preparedness.
“While the study will not prevent future flooding, it will work hand in hand with the study we have already commissioned of Lockyer Creek, to ensure communities across the catchment are as prepared and resilient as they can possibly be,” Cr Milligan said.
Image: iStock image of the Brisbane River.