Brisbane City Council rolls out new technology ahead of wild weather

New footage has been released that captures what lurks below Brisbane within the city’s 315km of flood-impacted drainage systems.

As South East Queensland moves toward months of wild, unpredictable weather, new technology is being rolled out to help keep motorists safe.

Solar powered automated flood warning signs will be installed at 12 flood prone locations across Brisbane in an effort to keep motorists from entering flooded roads.

One of the new, solar powered signs was recently installed at Bardon. Picture: Brisbane City Council

The announcement of the new sign locations comes as council nears completing inspections of Brisbane’s drain network following February’s flooding event.

“We’ve all heard the warning, if it’s flooded, forget it,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.

“Unfortunately, some motorists continue trying to cross flooded roads while others enter unaware that a road is flooded.”

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A possum made this drain his home beneath Brisbane. Photo: BCC.

The signs will be automatically turned on when an alarm gauge detects flooding has reached a certain level, and will also notify council officers immediately who can monitor the situation remotely through camera technology.

Cr Schrinner said the 12 new installations would cost $500,000.

Among the city's drain network residents was this snake, which was filmed by council workers cleaning the area. Photo: BCC.

The new signs follow the installation of three trial signs at Gap Creek Road at Kenmore Hills, Bowen Parade at Bardon, and Lucy Street at Moorooka, and will be installed in suburbs like Pullenvale, Durack, Newmarket, Tingalpa, and Willawong.

“Our expert flood and traffic engineers have told us which roads frequently flood and which locations have a history of motorists attempting to cross flooded waterways. This is where those signs will go,” Cr Schrinner said.

“The installation of automated flood warning signs is part of an ongoing program and work will now continue on where signs should be installed next.”

A large drum made its way into one drain at Bowen Hills. Photo: BCC.

The announcement of the additional signs comes as Brisbane City Council reach a major milestone in recovering from February’s flooding emergency, now just weeks away from finalising inspections and cleaning of more than 8000 open drains and 315km of flood-impacted drainage systems across the city.

Council crews have nearly completed cleaning the city's drain network. Photo: BCC.

“Since the floods we have had specialised teams working 24/7 and using remote-controlled cameras to inspect the drains and then use high-pressure water blasts and suction to clean the drains of any built-up mud, debris, or tree roots.

“This is an incredibly complex but critical job because in the case of heavy rain we want water to be able to easily flow.”

“We can’t stop Brisbane from flooding, but we can be better prepared.”