Bundaberg has scored another multi-million dollar flood package, headlined by an innovative levee to protect the Millbank Waste Water Treatment Plant, destroyed by 
flooding earlier this year.
I’m very pleased to announce that Bundaberg Regional Council has received $2.9m from the Newman Government Betterment Fund to build a protective earth levee on the west side of Millbank and upgrade the Kendalls Flat Weir and Levee to make them more resilient to future floods.
The Millbank plant services 28,000 locals every day.
Fast flowing water inundated the entire complex, clogging it with silt, logs and debris, and destroying electrical systems, roads and retaining walls.
Given the extent of the damage, the Council did an amazing job to patch it up and get services running again while planning a permanent fix.
Council’s betterment solution is to build a protective levee on the west side of the facility to divert water and debris around the plant.
The work will reduce future flood damage, allowing essential treatment operations to resume more quickly and minimise the duration of untreated sewerage discharging into the Burnett River.
The Kendalls Flat Weir and Levee were designed to protect homes and businesses, infrastructure, hospitals, a railway station, and sporting facilities. They also protect Bourbong Street, one of the busiest roads in Bundaberg and providing a critical evacuation route for about 2,800 residents.
The latest funding will strengthen the weir’s banks and the base of the levee to reduce the likelihood of scouring and the risk of inundation.
The $80 million Betterment Fund is part of the Newman Government’s push to end Labor’s wasteful approach of rebuilding the same infrastructure in the same position that was washed away again the next time it flooded.
This government has a clear vision for Queensland.
The Betterment Fund will save communities the heartache and expense of repeatedly replacing vulnerable infrastructure.
It may cost a little more in the short term but in the long haul we’ll save Queenslanders money by rebuilding flood-damaged public infrastructure in a smarter way that makes it more resilient to future floods.
With the heartache caused by repeated flooding, it’s common sense to build more flood resilient infrastructure so the community can bounce back more quickly when the next flood comes.
The Betterment Fund is a Queensland Government initiative, funded by the State and Federal Governments.