Farmers banking on restored waterways

FARMERS and SEQ Catchments are working to ensure less damage is done to creeks and rivers in future floods.

Waterways on Tarome farmer Mal Abbott's property are being rebuilt by SEQ Catchments to better withstand future floods. . Picture: Queensland Reconstruction Authority

FARMERS and SEQ Catchments are working to ensure less damage is done to creeks and rivers in future floods.

Tarome farmer Mal Abbott is one of a number of farmers across the Scenic Rim, Somerset and Lockyer Valleys working with SEQ Catchments to help rebuild damaged waterways.

The banks of the Warrill Ck, which runs through Mr Abbott's property, were severely damaged by the flood.

"There were a couple of places where the creek bank was really gouged in," he said.

"There were hundreds of tonnes of dirt that just went down into the water.

Mr Abbott said SEQ Catchments had rebuilt the creek bank with rocks and gravel before grasses and trees were planted to secure the banks.

SEQ Catchments chief operating officer Tony Costantini said the damage done to Mr Abbott's property was indicative of what occurred to waterways throughout the region.

"Farmers lost an enormous amount of infrastructure during the flood," he said.

"Not just pumps and irrigation, but some banks were eroded 10m to 20m back. So they actually lost land."

Mr Costantini said SEQ Catchments was working to restore the creek and riverbanks to a better condition than before to the flood.

"We're working to take away these sheer slopes the flood created and revegetate the creeks to hold it together.

Mr Costantini said funding for the project had been secured through the state and federal governments.

Originally published as Farmers banking on restored waterways