Toowoomba Regional Council scraps $98m flood mitigation plan for Oakey that would protect nearly 200 homes
THE Toowoomba Regional Council has walked away from a major flood mitigation plan to protect hundreds of households in the Oakey township because it believed the project’s cost outweighed the potential benefits.
Council
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Councillors yesterday endorsed the officer’s recommendation for the TRC to head back to the drawing board, after an independent engineering report revealed a proposed diversion channel option would cost nearly $100 million.
After voting to look into options under the Oakey Flood Risk Management Plan back in June last year, the diversion channel was determined as the “only feasible option warranting further investigation”.
“The diversion channel option was aimed at addressing a flow breakout which occurs to the north of the Oakey township,” the report by engineer drainage planning principal Graham Bebington said.
“Under existing conditions and in large events, a flow breakout occurs to the north-east of the Oakey township.
“This option seeks to maximise the breakout flows from Oakey Creek which then transfer northwest to Doctors Creek, thus diverting more water away from Oakey.”
But an engineering consultant’s report into the diversion option was estimated to cost $98.8 million, which the council officers concluded was far less than the damage costs saved.
“The total reduction in flood-plain damages has been estimated to be $24m, resulting in a cost benefit ratio of 0.24,” the report said.
“The study has demonstrated that while a diversion channel could be technically feasible and would protect the majority of the 200 properties shown by the latest modelling to be flood affected without mitigation in Oakey, the capital cost is significant with a low cost/benefit and hence giving any further consideration to this proposal is not supported.”
During the meeting, infrastructure chair Cr Carol Taylor said the council would keep looking at new flood mitigation options.
“We are not abandoning anyone, we will continue to go forward with what we can,” she said.
“What we’re doing is putting this particular option to bed, because it doesn’t present value for money.
“We’re all very supportive to help people in our region who suffer the impacts of floods, but unfortunately we can’t be all things to all people.
“But we will continue to find the right solution for the right mitigation.”
