Flood maps available online soon
Published 03 February 2011
Moreton Bay Regional Council will make flood maps for the region publicly available for download from council’s website in coming days.
Mayor Allan Sutherland said the maps detailing a one in one-hundred-year flood event would be updated in three phases over the next 18 months.
“This first instalment of flood maps to be uploaded won’t be comprehensive, they’ve been compiled mainly from multiple historical data sources collected by the former Caboolture, Redcliffe and Pine Rivers councils,” Mayor Sutherland said.
“One of the issues raised by the community in the days after the recent flash flooding event was the lack of freely available flood maps.
“Council has listened to what people have had to say and is moving quickly to put the information we have onto the website ahead of predictions of more El Nino linked weather events over summer.
“This is regional information we’ve compiled and refined by using new data collected since amalgamation, together with the records and research of the three former councils.”
Mayor Sutherland said the second phase would include additional preliminary mapping and was expected to be uploaded progressively over the next few months.
“We’ve had surveyors out in the field during and after the recent flash flooding event to record inundation patterns which will be compared with existing data and take into account the changes to the landscape that have occurred with development,” the Mayor said.
“Revised and improved mapping of the Burpengary catchment is nearing completion, and we’re now working on flood profiles for the region’s western districts, as well as Ningi and Bribie Island.
“Phase three, with the benefit of the latest modelling technology, will be comprehensive and take into account potential overland flow and storm tides.”
The third phase of council’s three year flood mapping project is expected to be completed by mid 2012.
“This is a three year program and was one of the first major projects launched by Moreton Bay Regional Council in its first year,” Mayor Sutherland said.
“As an amalgamated council we didn’t have the coordinated whole of region data that other councils in South East Queensland have had years to collect.
“We’ve almost started from scratch, but it’s my expectation that once finished this region will have a complete set of local flood maps that will compare favourably with those available in other parts of the state including the City of Brisbane.”
Moreton Bay Regional Council’s flood maps will be available at: www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au