Community & Business
7 February, 2025
Flash flooding fix will take years
FLASH flooding along Byrnes Street escalated recently when a series of heavy storms caused water to swamp main street sidewalks and edge into business entries not normally threatened by flooding.
Water came within inches of the front door to The Express Newspaper and neighbouring businesses, with one setting up a makeshift barrier outside the building.
It is understood other businesses closer to Rankin Street were inundated, and that a customer took a fall when negotiating a flooded kerb.
However, a remedy for the recurring problem will not be any time soon, according to Mareeba Shire Council.
Council has awarded a tender to a company to do a CBD study, funded by federal and state governments.
But the Mareeba CBD Blueprint project was “going to take a couple of years to do a detailed plan”, council chief executive officer Peter Franks said.
“Then we’ve got to find the money because digging up your main street to put in stormwater piping, etc, is huge.
“Innisfail did the same sort of thing, and it’s just cost them over $10 million.”
“And you don’t start at the top, you start at the bottom to put pipes in – there’s no point on putting the pipes in if there’s nowhere for water to go. So, it’s going to be years before we can get to the [recent inundation spots].”
Was there an interim solution?
“The short answer is no,” Mr Franks said.
The comments followed the approval of a Transport Advisory Committee (TAC) report for December tabled at the MSC meeting on 23 January.
Mayor Angela Toppin said there was a long history of flooding in the town, but it had been exacerbated by the installation of traffic lights by TMR in 2019-20.
Mr Franks agreed there was an issue with the lights.
“It used to be a roundabout, and the water could get away and go down Rankin Street, and when (TMR) did the works there they put in a much smaller grate, and it has diverted more water there,” he said.
According to the minutes of the TAC meeting, MSC and TMR inspected the traffic lights in March 2023.
Further investigation by TMR had found it would cost an estimated $1.5 million for overall rectification works at the traffic lights.
In the meantime, it had elevated the grated inlet pit to reduce blockage and increase capacity, but “additional works would be required in future to further improve drainage issues on Byrnes Street”, the report said.
The CBD Blueprint project aimed to revitalise the area between Herberton Street and Lloyd Street between Constance Street and Railway Avenue, including by improving stormwater, introducing underground power, and improving public amenity by the end of 2026.
Mr Franks said council was aware of recent flooding, particularly on the corner of Walsh Street, and at O’Donnell’s Office Supplies, where water had lapped up the internal steps and into the premises.
“It floods every year, we are aware of it, and we will work on it, we will come up with a design and then we’ve got to fund it,” he said.
