Hard hit Bundaberg will be better protected and more flood resilient after the Newman Government announced nearly $2.4 million flood funding for the region.
I was in Bundaberg early this morning with the Community Recovery and Resilience Minister David Crisafulli to make the announcement. The funding will go towards two separate levees, one adjacent to Technology Park and the other between Batchlers and Mt Perry roads. There will also be major stabilisation work to protect the CBD.
Bundaberg Regional Council now knows it has a state government that will work alongside them to build the infrastructure that will make this community safer.
We all recognise that you can’t stop floods, but we can do a better job at avoiding some of the damage.
Many Bundaberg and Burnett residents have been telling me they want to see some urgent action to protect their homes and businesses in the future.
The North Bundaberg levee adjacent to Technology Park will prevent breakout flooding from the Burnett River and the second, further to the north, will prevent backwater inundation.
The second project will see $1.5 million of vital work to protect the CBD by stabilising a badly eroded section of the Burnett River.
The Midtown Marina was only just getting back on its feet after the 2011 floods when it was smashed by the January floods. Landslips have now taken a large chunk of the riverbank.
This project will build a wall and backfill to reclaim the riverbank, previously popular with walkers.
Council will also receive $82,405 for flood studies of the Lower Burnett River and lower Kolan River and Gin Gin Creek catchments.
Residents along the Kolan River and Lower Burnett were devastated by the flooding. We can’t flood proof these areas, but Council can take a long term approach now to making them less vulnerable.
These projects will go a long way towards providing a better protected future for Bundaberg and surrounding communities, and helping them back to a bigger and better time ahead.