Council continues riverbank restoration works

Construction is underway on an innovative approach to reduce the impacts of riverbank erosion near Ross Park as part of an environmental restoration project.

Townsville City Council is completing bank stabilisation and revegetation works to a section of the Ross River riverbank following erosion from the 2019 severe flooding event.

Community Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability Committee chairperson and Councillor Maurie Soars said the objective was to reduce further bank erosion by redirecting the overland flows into the river.

“Following analysis of the bankside flow paths, Council will build a bund to divert the flow of stormwater to a riverbank drainage chute near Ross Park,” Cr Soars said.

“Crews have also strategically removed and biologically treated more than 1,000 tonnes of dead or fallen timber from within the flow-path of the Ross River, while maintaining critical ecological habitats.

“Instead of going to landfill, the timber was mulched and used for the regenerative and ecological riverbank restoration work.

“This has helped to reduce transport costs and carbon emissions while also diverting waste from going to landfill, which is a key objective from Council’s corporate plan.”

Cr Soars said the Townsville community is a big user of the region’s waterways.

“Projects like these are crucial in being able to restore, maintain and build the resilience of our riverbanks to handle any future flooding events better,” he said.

Member for Thuringowa Aaron Harper agreed building back better from the 2019 floods was crucial.

“It’s great to see Townsville City Council doing this important work, with the support from the government,” he said.

“The Ross River and Ross Park are both popular places for the community so it’s important we plan for the future.”

Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience, Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie said the riverbank restoration, jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) and Council, is a significant investment in the region.

“The Australian Government is pleased to support Townsville City Council through the DRFA to deliver this important project as part of the $9.4 million riverbank restoration program.

“The innovative project will not only restore Townsville’s waterways following the 2019 floods, but will also make the riverbank more resilient by reducing the impact of erosion in the future,” Minister McKenzie said.

Restoration projects have already been completed at affected rivers and waterways, which include two sites within the Lower Ross River (Hermit Park and Oonoonba), Bluewater Creek, Goondaloo Creek (Douglas) and other sections of Kelso.

Redevelopment near Ross Park are due to be completed by the end of March.

For more information, visit Council's Riverbank Restoration Project web page or Queensland Restoration Authority's Riparian and Coastal Recovery Program web page.