Western Downs Regional Council is undertaking updated flood studies across major towns in the region and is calling on the community to provide historical flood information to inform improved flood modelling and mapping.
The Western Downs has an unfortunate history of major flooding events, prompting Council to review and update its riverine flood studies for Chinchilla, Dalby, Jandowae, Miles, Tara and Wandoan to improve flood risk management in the region.
Western Downs Regional Council Mayor Andrew Smith said the revised studies will use modern technology, best practices in hydrology, and new modelling methodology to improve regional flood plain mapping in these towns since they were last developed in 2014.
"Council's flood mapping data informs how we manage flooding events and helps guide future planning and development in our towns, so we need to ensure these studies accurately reflect what really happens when flooding occurs," Mayor Smith said.
"Council is working closely with an external consultant, Stantec, to deliver and coordinate the revised flood study across the six Council areas, providing detailed information to assist with policy making, planning, development, and flood mitigation.
"As part of the review, residents who live in and around these key towns and their catchments are asked to share their experiences to help improve the accuracy of our flood modelling and mapping data.
"We invite residents to have their say on flooding events to better assist Council with an understanding of where flood impacts are occurring, and how they affect the region.
"By sharing rainfall records, experiences and photos of historic flood events, we can gain valuable, tangible insight of past flood events, providing a better understanding of future flood behaviour.
"We are committed to investing in safe, well maintained road networks to connect our region and support economic activities and the community can contribute immensely to this commitment by providing their stories.
"We take great pride in our region and are committed to fostering a vibrant, inclusive community where people can live, work, and prosper. We are confident that community feedback will provide valuable insights to guide the revised studies."
Community members wanting to share flood stories, rainfall records, experiences and photos can contribute by completing the 'Revised Flood Studies' survey at https://haveyoursay.wdrc.qld.gov.au/flood-study.
Residents are encouraged to submit feedback and information before Friday, 15 August 2025.
This project is fully funded by the Australian and Queensland governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
