Council’s Flood Information Portal scoops major Award
Lockyer Valley Regional Council’s Flood Information Portal has taken out the Innovation Award at the recent National Local Government Customer Service Awards.
Developed over several years with the assistance of specialised consultants and with thanks to funding support from the Queensland Government through the Innovation and Improvement Fund, Lockyer Valley Regional Council CEO, Ian Church said the Flood Information Portal was launched to the community in April.
“As the first flood information platform of its kind, the Flood Information Portal was an exciting initiative the region was proud to be pioneering.
“The Flood Information Portal is an interactive tool which provides a level of detail and confidence never seen before and is an exciting development in Council’s suite of flood intelligence information.
“This service allows Council to consolidate the flood information we have used in the past into a sleek, automated online system – with reports generated online for free, in just minutes.
“We’re proud to be pioneering an innovative new system that provides up-to-date and detailed flood information on properties in the Lockyer Valley, and which gives residents the clarity and information they need to confidently make property-related decisions,” Mr Church said.
The new Flood Information Portal, which residents can access via computer, provides point-specific data on flood levels and quickly produces a report highlighting the engineering parameters like depth, velocity, and hazard of the water at those locations on a number of calibrated and design events.
“This is another tool to reduce people’s vulnerability and maximise their safety in natural disasters, while ensuring they can undertake development in areas that are safe.
“It allows residents to better understand their own risk and gives them transparent and reliable flood data to confidently make decisions in relation to their property.”
Floods have become synonymous with the Lockyer Valley, with the 2011, 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2022 floods leaving a lasting impression on the region.
“As a result, Council wanted to improve flood resilience to make the region safer, protect people and property, and reduce flood vulnerability.
“Landowners and developers can better understand flood constraints and improve the quality and suitability of development proposals.
“The way in which local rain events are modelled and translated into flood data is a complex process with many nuances, and we’re confident the processing and ground truthing of the data has resulted in an accurate and reliable resource for our community.
“This is just another tool needed to reduce people’s vulnerability and maximise their safety in natural disasters, while ensuring they can undertake development in areas that are safe.”
Mr Church said winning the Innovation Award was a major achievement and congratulated everyone involved in bringing the Flood Information Portal to fruition.
“From Council’s Disaster Dashboard to the Flood Information Portal – advancements in the accessibility of information for our community lead to our ever-improving resilience, preparedness and future planning for all.
“Flood modelling data of this standard is a vital tool when considering all development types and having access to this Portal and the information it contains will help our community to have confidence to live, play and explore, now and for decades to come.
“It’s wonderful to see the Portal being recognised for its innovation and value to the community,” he said.
The Flood Information Portal can be viewed on Council’s website.
