An innovative system developed through a Tamworth Regional Council-led project will give residents of Nundle and Woolomin early flood warning notice.
Tamworth Regional Council and the NSW State Emergency Service Western Region have worked with consultants Water Technology Pty Ltd and the Bureau of Meteorology over the last year to develop the Flood Early Warning System.
The project was jointly funded by Council, the NSW Government and the Australian Government under the Natural Disaster Resilience Program.
Tamworth Regional Council Manager Strategy, Assets and Design, Graeme McKenzie, said the system is the first in the NSW State Emergency Service Western Region.
“The system uses flow monitoring in creeks and rivers in conjunction with predicted rainfall from the Bureau of Meteorology. It identifies the risk of flooding and the possible magnitude of the flooding,” he said. “The SES and Council will receive automated alerts. The Woolomin and Nundle communities will benefit significantly through improved flood management. They will receive earlier warning of flood events in the upper reaches of the Peel Catchment.’’
Opportunities to help residents with early flood warning
Tamworth Regional Council stormwater engineer Aidan Pugh said the key to the new system was the addition of a river gauge in Duncans Creek.
“Woolomin is at the junction of the Peel River and Duncans Creek. As a result, flooding of Woolomin can occur from either source,” he said. “The installation of the gauge provides real-time monitoring of flows. This has not been available for the SES or Council before. The remainder of the system uses the predicted and actual rainfall to allow early warning about possible flooding.”
“It has been some years since a significant flood in Woolomin. However, residents must be prepared,” Pugh said. “There is some likelihood that a significant percentage of the Woolomin Community will not know the flood history of Woolomin. They need to know what to do about a flood event.”
Residents of Woolomin and Nundle are also being asked to complete an SES survey about flood risks in their community. It can be found at: www.haveyoursay.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/flood-early-warning-system.
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