Herbert River Flood Study and Mapping
Flooding can affect people, property and infrastructure across the Hinchinbrook Shire. Council plays an important role in managing development in flood‑affected areas and providing up‑to‑date flood information to help the community make informed decisions.
Flood studies and flood mapping forms the basis for our understanding of flood behaviour, where risks may occur and how best to manage those risks. This information is used for land use planning, development assessments, emergency management and community awareness.
Council, with support from the Queensland Government, continues to improve flood information so our community is better prepared and more resilient to future flood events.
Herbert River Flood Mapping 2015
The Herbert River Flood Study was first completed in 2003. Since then, new data has become available, allowing flood modelling to be improved for flood level, depth and hazard mapping. In 2015, BMT WBM in association with Venant Solutions Pty Ltd undertook an update to Council’s Flood Model to better reflect current conditions and hazards. The updated modelling resulted in changes to predicted flood levels, depths and hazard areas and now forms the basis of flood mapping used by Council.
This Herbert River Flood Study Update 2015(PDF, 28MB) flood mapping:
- is reflected within the Hinchinbrook Shire Planning Scheme 2017; and
- is used to issue 100‑year Flood Level Certificates, and flood maps for both the flood hazard and flood depth for the 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and possible maximum flood events.
Areas Covered by the Flood Mapping
The mapping covers the following areas:
- Ingham;
- South Ingham (including Toobanna and Blackrock);
- Lower Herbert area (Bemerside, Macknade and Cordelia);
- Halifax; and
- Trebonne.
Coastal communities including Taylors Beach, Lucinda and Forrest Beach fall under the Storm Surge model, which is not included in this study.
Community Consultation Report
Council undertook community consultation on the updated Herbert River Flood Mapping in 2017 alongside the draft Hinchinbrook Shire Planning Scheme 2017.
Community members were invited to review the mapping, ask questions and provide feedback. Submissions received during the consultation period did not change the technical basis of the flood modelling.
Following consultation, the Herbert River Flood Mapping Update 2015 was adopted by Council and formally implemented from 1 October 2017.
View the Community Consultation Report.(PDF, 9MB)
Documentation
The Herbert River Flood Study Update 2015(PDF, 28MB) is the current document Council will be referencing in the Hinchinbrook Shire Planning Scheme 2017.
Past studies