Bureau of Meteorology to charge councils for 'life or death' flood data
The BOM is cutting NQ councils off from flood data, telling them to cough up more than $10,000 if they want to continue closely monitoring rainfall and river levels during emergencies.
The Bureau of Meteorology is cutting North Queensland councils off from free flood data, telling them to cough up more than $10,000 if they want to continue closely monitoring rainfall and river levels during emergencies.
For nearly 30 years the BOM has been supplying free data from rainfall and river level gauges directly to councils across Australia through their Enviromon software, which provides updates on five-minute intervals.
However, Enviromon is being phased out and replaced by a new software program called OneRain which cannot be ‘sublicensced’ or shared for free to other organisations.
The BOM said rainfall and river level data can still be accessed via their website, but the updates would now happen on 15 minute intervals for the general public – and councils – to read online.
However, a few councils have already decided 15-minute updates isn’t going to cut it, including Brisbane City Council which is splashing $500,000 in ratepayers money to procure this own software and Gold Coast City Council which is prepared to spend $600,000.
The BOM software systems will officially switch on June 30, 2026.
“No data is being removed from access,” a BOM spokesman said.
“Support for Enviromon software is being discontinued, so the methods by which data can be accessed are changing.”
The loss of five-minute updates is a problem for councils, who are responsible for issuing flood warnings in Queensland, compared to NSW where the SES is in charge of local flood warnings.
A Charters Towers Regional Council (CTRC) spokesman said it had been told the BOM would charge councils for access to five-minute updates based on the size of each council – ranging from $10,000 to $500,000.
“CTRC has asked on a number of occasions for confirmation of costs it might be expected to pay. No response from BOM has been forthcoming,” the spokesman said.
Charters Towers Mayor Liz Schmidt said real-time information was the difference between life and death.
“A fifteen-minute wait for information could have fatal consequences in my community,” Cr Schmidt said.
“During big events in this part of Queensland, the water volume of Sydney Harbour goes across the Burdekin Falls Dam every day … to now hear that many councils will have to pay for access to real-time data when they’ve traditionally had this available for free, is a disgrace.
“We’ve been told all along that the BOM’s resources are stretched and they can’t afford to put staff into Cairns, yet they’ve been able to fund a $96m website.”
Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto said Townsville City Council was currently undertaking a process to identify a suitable third-party replacement for the Enviromon software.
“The cost of the replacement software remains uncertain as Council is exploring opportunities to integrate several disaster management systems,” Cr Dametto said.
“It’s disappointing that the BOM has made this decision which has left local governments responsible for finding alternate solutions to fill the void.”
Burdekin Shire Council said it was aware of the BOM’s decision to discontinue the Enviromon software and were in discussions about the future of the shire’s flood reporting systems.
Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council acting CEO Steve Martin said Palm Island was not affected by the change because the island was not part of the Enviromon flood alert system.
Hinchinbrook Shire Council mayor Ramon Jayo, whose community experienced devastating floods in the first few months of this year, said his council was in discussions with the BOM and would keep the community informed when updates become available.
Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) chief executive officer Alison Smith described the move as a “BOM cost shift”.
“Councils are being told to either pay up for real time information, or rely on updates at 15 minute intervals that will be provided for free,” Ms Smith said.
“We’ve had councils warning that they are in the impossible position of either using ratepayers’ money to buy something that taxpayers have already funded or step back their alert systems.”
The LGAQ confirmed councils were being quoted anywhere from $10,000 to $600,000 to access the quicker alerts.
“We have a locally-led disaster management framework in Queensland that puts councils at the centre of their community’s response,” Ms Smith said.
“So, saying they will have to start paying to get the information to keep their community safe is just not on.”
The BOM said that Enviromon was being replaced because the ageing software no longer met the basic cybersecurity and resilience standards required of a flood warning system.
“It is important to note that Enviromon will not be switched off (in 2026) and the application can be used after this time,” the BOM said.
“External users have a range of options available to them that include: using the Bureau’s free public website, becoming a registered user of the Bureau’s data transfer (FTP) service, purchasing a commercial solution, or continuing to use Enviromon without Bureau technical support.”
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Originally published as Bureau of Meteorology to charge councils for 'life or death' flood data
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