Flood management plan helps mitigate risk

Brenten and Virginia Lowe had a flood management plan prepared for their property at Beeron.

North Burnett primary producers Brenten and Virginia Lowe believe that having a flood management plan will assist them with water management and to reduce the impact of future high rainfall events.

The Lowes farm sheep, cattle and hens on 276ha at Beeron near Mundubbera.

They were severely impacted by hard and fast heavy rain between November 2021 and October 2022, including 140mm in 40 minutes during the March 2022 rain event.

There was heavy erosion, damage to fencing and 45 sheep were lost.

“The weather patterns have definitely changed,” Brenten said.

“The rain is getting quicker and quicker, and the boom-bust cycle is getting worse and worse.”

The Lowes participated in a free program run by Burnett Mary Regional Group to develop a flood management plan for their property.

As part of the program, Industry Recovery and Resilience Officers (IRRO) helped Brenten and Virginia to build business resilience by planning for rainfall events.

The IRRO program is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and helps eligible primary producers impacted by the significant flooding and rainfall events in 2021-22 to access funding, resources, management planning and mapping support.

“I heard about the program through our local Landcare group,” Brenten said.

“Going forward, water management is going to be a huge thing, also resilience to maintain a profitable enterprise.”

The plan outlines potential actions to prevent, prepare, respond and recover in relation to heavy rainfall events.

Practical actions are identified, such as pumping all stored water in lower-altitude dams up to higher landscape storage; redesigning fences; and implementing vegetation contours 10 metres apart in elevation to slow water flow.

“It comes down to dollars and cents, but we’ll look at installing a larger water storage facility high on the landscape, to get our water stored up there and then reticulate to livestock,” Brenten said.

“Everyone wants their dams full, but it gives me anxiety when I see them full. When they’re dry, I’m ready for rain.”

Brenten said despite a looming El Nino dry spell, the next big rain event was never far from his mind.

“It’s not if, it’s when the next one comes,” he said.

“For me, it’s good water management to slow the water up and let it soak into the landscape so we can rehydrate the land.”

BMRG Industry Recovery and Resilience Officer, Virginia Kelleher, said having a flood management plan could help producers to future proof their properties.

“This plan will assist the Lowes to identify and mitigate risks on their property,” she said.

“We're able to help landholders with planning improvements in areas such as infrastructure, ground cover, rotational grazing, soil health, landscape hydration and being rain ready for wet seasons to harvest water.

“We will come out to your property and complete a flood management plan, and run through support services, including grants and funding opportunities available to eligible primary producers.”

For more information, contact BMRG on 07 4181 2999 or email admin@bmrg.org.au.

The IRRO program is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Erosion on the Lowe family property caused by flooding.