Opinion: Use common sense and work with nature to mitigate flooding

“The way I see it, the Bundaberg East Flood Levee will have a detrimental flow on effect to the Residents and Businesses of North Bundaberg.”

The Burnett Traffic Bridge during the 1971 floods.Photo: Picture Bundaberg

As a 37 year North side resident and starting work at Fairymead Sugar Mill in 1973, the way I see it, the Bundaberg East Flood Levee will have a detrimental flow on effect to the Residents and Businesses of North Bundaberg.

By using common sense and not science, flood water will travel past East Side and enter North Bundaberg as it did in the last Major flood in 2013 but with more volume.

How do I know this? very simple, I attended the meeting organised by the council at the North Bundaberg Progress Hall who were there with the Engineering Consultants that demonstrated by a flow chart with arrows how the flood water entered North Bundaberg.

Over 60% or more of the flood water that entered North Bundaberg came from the East, this came about as the water simply couldn’t escape fast enough to the sea via the blocked river passage.

So, it gets back to common sense which would tell you that the water that entered East Bundaberg during the last flood, some of it would have to enter North Bundaberg if the East Side Levy was built by the time of the next major flood.

It may not be much, but it would definitely compound the problem North-side already has with flood water.

Here is an example of a flow on effect which also concerned North-side Residents once again.

The Burnett River Bridge was shut down on a Saturday to allow the preparation of food etc, for a select few to have dinner on the bridge at night time.

The “Flow on effect”, it took the average motorist an additional 20 minutes plus to get across the river.

I personally witnessed traffic that was bumper to bumper along Walker Street Saturday morning all the way to the bottleneck that was occurring on Tallon Bridge.

I also know of a business that was unable to make deliveries to the North-side as the traffic congestion was too much on the same day.

You could say these matters are trivial, but what about the Emergency Services who are now located further away from North-side than they were a few years ago.

This could have been a no joke, life and death matter “flow on effect” to North-side residents who don’t seem to matter.

Back to the River, I see the solution as not science but common sense.

Firstly, the river must be dredged all the way to the sea and cleared of blockages or any other obstructions.

If you had a blocked pipe, then it needs to be cleared and first cab off the rank would be the barrage itself.

I understand the barrage is vital to water supply, but don’t see any reason why it couldn’t be modified to allow it to open during major flood events and let the water flow down a well dredged, deepened and widened water course to the sea.

This would have to reduce the flood height by at least 1 metre.

I was a volunteer committee member who attended the CRG meetings after the 2013 flood with some very dedicated and knowledgeable people.

One of those members was John Olsen who I found to be a very educated person on the Burnett River.

He stated we must work with nature and not against it, how true those words are, for example the Tallon Bridge actually changed from a bridge and turned into a Dam during the height of the 2013 flood.

This is not working with nature. We need to learn and listen to people like John Olsen.

In my opinion of the 1942 flood which was not as high as the 2013 flood could have been far worse, let’s remember there was no barrage, and the river was always well dredged for flood waters to make their way far quicker and more efficiently than today.

We know that the East Levee costs will blow out enormously by the time it is finished as other Major projects do, this is not “value for money or bang for the buck”.

The recently formed Bundaberg Flood Protection Group are a collection of volunteers who are dedicated and very knowledgeable people that have come together to help protect all of Bundaberg and not just a select few.

Money would be wisely spent by listening to and adopting their solutions towards future flood proofing all of Bundaberg.

John Lee, North Bundaberg.

Originally published as Opinion: Use common sense and work with nature to mitigate flooding