Camera to show if road is cut at Saltwater Creek

IF MAYOR Gerard O’Connell had a dollar for every time he’s been asked during a rainstorm if the Hervey Bay-Maryborough Rd was open, he'd be a millionaire.

Glen Klingberg from Prospect Environmental explains the workings of the new flood monitor camera on the old bridge over Saltwater Creek to Fraser Coast Mayor Gerard O'Connell and disaster planning co-ordinator Mal Churchill. Picture: Contributed

IF FRASER Coast Mayor Gerard O'Connell had a dollar for every time he's been asked during a rainstorm if the Hervey Bay-Maryborough Rd was open, he says he'd be a multi-millionaire.

Cr O'Connell said a camera had now been installed on the old bridge and, eventually, images from the camera would go straight onto the council's website and residents could log in and see what was happening.

"Finding out of the road is open is very important to a lot of people," he said.

"Once the road is cut traffic between Hervey Bay and Maryborough is diverted along the Bruce Hwy to Howard."

When the Mary River is in flood, water can back up and cut the road at the bridge over Saltwater Creek, especially at high tide.

"To keep tabs on what is happening at the bridge council has had a camera installed," Cr O'Connell said.

"Staff can log into the camera to see what is happening at any time so we can alert emergency service personnel and residents whether the bridge is open or closed."

The solar-powered camera, which was installed this week, also collects river height information.

"The electronics can be easily modified so it could be set up as an alert monitor and automatically collect rainfall and other weather information as well," he said.

The camera formed part of the council's network of weather and river height monitors along the Mary River, Wide Bay Creek and Tinana Creek.

The $30,000 project is a joint project between the council and the State Government.