Residents urged to prepare for further river rises across Goondiwindi region

Goondiwindi Regional Council is urging residents to prepare for further river rises across the Goondiwindi region over the coming days and weeks, following more rainfall on Monday night.

Mayor of the Goondiwindi region the Honourable Cr Lawrence Springborg AM said that while flooding is not expected to impact major centres, conditions are changing rapidly and all residents should continue to check local road conditions before travel via Council’s Disaster Dashboard: http://dashboard.grc.qld.gov.au

The Weir River received 54 mm of rainfall in 24 hours at O’Connor, in the region’s north, and peaked at 8.7 metres at 3 am this morning [7 April], just below major flood level. Residents should be prepared for flooding to extend downstream over the next few days and, in particular, rural properties adjacent to the Weir will need to be alert as levels rise.

While the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) is yet to finalise any firm predictions, the flood waters are not expected to impact major centres.

The Wyaga Creek at Kilbronae, about 20 km north of Goondiwindi, is at 2.9 metres and rising as of 7 am this morning. Major flooding is expected to continue in that area and downstream over the next few days, with impacts expected for the Gore and Leichardt highways as well as rural properties in the area. 

The Dumaresq River at Farnbro (out of the Severn River) peaked at 11 pm last night at 2.4 metres, just below minor flood level, after rainfall in the Ballandean area. Minor rises are expected downstream.

Inflows from Bracker and Chain of Ponds Creeks into the already at-capacity Coolmunda Dam have caused spills into the Macintyre Brook, reaching minor flood levels in Inglewood and downstream.

Cr Springborg is asking rural residents in particular to be prepared and to inform themselves of the latest developments.

“Because of the intensity and localised nature of recent storms, flooding can develop quickly in the upper reaches of our river systems like the Texas, Coolmunda Dam and Retreat areas,” he said. “It may not be possible for the BoM or Council to issue timely advices and warnings, so I ask people to make an effort to be aware of the situation themselves and seek advice.

“River rises and flooding are an essential part of the ecosystem of the region’s flood plain and our rural people are generally well prepared to deal with the impacts,” he said.

“However, I just ask people to stay across the BoM flood warnings as in some cases we have seen relatively minor amounts of rain have significant impacts on river levels due to the already soaked catchments.”

Residents are encouraged to check road conditions before they travel and remember: if it’s flooded, forget it.

• For official road closure information, please use the following:
  • Queensland: https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au or phone 13 19 40
  • New South Wales: https://livetraffic.com or phone 13 27 01

• For the latest BoM updates including weather warnings, visit: www.bom.gov.au
• Use Council’s Goondiwindi region Disaster Dashboard for a one-stop shop of emergency news, road conditions, weather warnings and more: http://dashboard.grc.qld.gov.au