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| Brisbane River flood at Goodna in January 2011 with the Ipswich Motorway in the centre of the picture partly submerged . |
FLOOD alerts will be boosted in high-risk areas to heighten warnings in the wake of hard-learnt lessons from the January 2011 floods.
Ipswich City Council is about to undertake a project to upgrade its flood and rainfall monitoring system across the city.
Councillor Cheryl Bromage said a number of rainfall-only alert stations as well as stream and rainfall alert stations would be installed.
The new locations include Ripley, Six Mile Creek, Goodna Creek, upstream of Grandchester, Rosewood, Redbank Plains, Thagoona and Washpool," Cr Bromage said.
"Installing these stream/rainfall alert stations will enhance council's flood warning systems and provide council with more information to draw upon during flooding situations."
Cr Bromage said council would now call for tenders for the project to complement the council's network of stream and rainfall alert stations throughout the Ipswich region.
"Council's regional alert station network links into the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) flood telemetry system, which the BoM use to provide flood and weather warnings to the general public and other councils," she said.
"This is another example of council improving its flood preparedness in light of the extreme weather events of recent years."
Information from these alert stations could also provide data for incorporation in future Australian Rainfall and Run off publications.
"The data produced will also help us to better plan for the future by providing average rainfall figures and stream heights over a wider area," Cr Bromage said.
"Historical knowledge and observations from previous large rainfall/flooding events in the region and future development areas will provide a better basis for long-term planning."
As part of their ongoing partnership, the council will engage the Ipswich Rivers Improvement Trust (IRIT) to project manage the installation of the new stream and rainfall alert stations.
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