Brisbane City Council admits Clem7 tunnel works raised water levels during May 2009 flood

BRISBANE City Council has admitted the Clem7 Tunnel project caused flood levels to rise when more than 300 properties went under water last year.

NO through road ... emergency crews direct motorists at a flooded Bowen Bridge Rd, next to the Royal Brisbane Hospital in Brisbane on May 20, 2009. Picture: Adam Smith

BRISBANE City Council has admitted the Clem7 Tunnel project caused flood levels to rise by 8cm when more than 330 northside properties went under water last year.

Residential and commercial properties in Windsor, Wilston, Newmarket, Herston and Kelvin Grove were flooded on May 20, 2009.

A report released by Council this month revealed work done for the Clem7 Tunnel project impacted on flood levels in surrounding areas.

Councillor David Hinchliffe said the report was inaccurate, trivialised the extent of the flooding and failed to address questions about future flood mitigation.

``Council allowed Rivercity Motorway to build up their site by more than 2m, creating an obstruction to flood waters that definitely led to a narrowing and funnelling of the creek, causing floodwaters to back up into houses,’’ he said.

David Staines, whose Windsor printing business suffered $2.5 million in damage, said the council's report was "smoke and mirrors", adding the council's flood model was flawed.

Herston resident Andrew Clark is considering launching a class action after his home had almost a  metre of water running though it, causing more than $30,000 damage.

Read the full report at Quest News's website.