Council seeks funding to improve flood resilience and community safety

Lockyer Valley Regional Council has applied for grant funding to reconstruct the Mount Berryman floodway and to install more flood warning signage throughout the region.

Council gave the green light for the projects to be nominated under the Federal Government’s Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) Round 3, with Council to also commit to a 50 per cent co-contribution.

Lockyer Valley Regional Council Infrastructure Portfolio Councillor, Michael Hagan said Council would commit an additional $625,000 to see both projects come to life.

“The Mount Berryman Floodway project is expected to cost around $1.15M and the Disaster Ready Signage Program $100,000, with Council set to inject $575,000 and $50,000 respectively to both projects, to be included in the 2025-2026 Capital Budget if the grant applications are successful.

“The Mount Berryman floodway, located around 100m north of Berlin Road, is exhibiting significant failures and becoming increasingly susceptible to damage.

“The new floodway would be more resilient to inundation, working to future-proof and flood-proof this vital piece of infrastructure. It would also be widened to allow for two-way operation.

“If successful, construction would likely begin in April 2026, after the wet season,” Cr Hagan said.

In addition, Council has sought funding for four extra storage sheds to be erected near localities known to get inundated and cut-off during rain events, which would be used to store disaster-related road condition and hazard signs.

“There are authorised Council employees who live in the isolated areas who can put up or take down the signs when active Council crews are unable to reach the area, increasing accessibility and public safety.

“Feedback from the Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred event indicated the four storage sheds we already have in place for this purpose were very helpful and worked well.

“It’s proposed the new sheds provide coverage to the western parts of the region and be placed at Murphys Creek, Grantham, Withcott and Flagstone Creek,” Cr Hagan said.

In addition to signage sheds, Council has also requested funding to install permanent flood warning/road condition signage at a further nineteen sites across the region, including:

• McGarrigal Bridge
• Steinkes Bridge
• Jims Road
• Ingoldsby Road (before first crossing)
• Crowley Vale Road
• Moon Road (Sandy Creek)
• Summerholm Road
• Sippel Road (Sandy Creek)
• Pike Street (Laidley)
• Paroz Road (Laidley)
• Drayton Street (Laidley)
• Sandy Creek Road (Grantham)
• Winwill Connection Road (Winwill)
• Upper Tenthill School Road
• Caffey Connection Road
• Grantham Winwill Road
• Ma Ma Lilydale Road
• Flagstone Creek Road (Iredale)
• Stockyard Creek Road