Rotary’s flood-ready upgrade for Hawkesbury
PICTURED: District Governor Nominee Haran Ramachandran OAM, Ross Howlett, of the Rotary Club of Windsor, Paul Rogers OAM, of the Rotary Club of Kurrajong North Richmond, Past District Governor Mina Howard, Rod Hartas, of the Rotary Club of Windsor, District 9685 Governor Michele Ellery, Peter Chidgey, of the Rotary Club of Richmond, Past District Governor Christine Owen, Peter McIntyre, of the Rotary Club of Kurrajong North Richmond, and Terry Miles, of the Rotary Club of Kurrajong North Richmond, at the official launch of the new signs.
New smart flood-warning signs installed across the Hawkesbury region are providing vital early alerts to help keep motorists safe in one of NSW’s most flood-prone areas.
Nine lifesaving flood-warning signs were recently installed on roads near creeks that flow into the Hawkesbury River, NSW, following the floods that devastated the area between 2020 and 2022.
The smart early flood alert system has sensors installed in the creeks, which activate signs on the roads when water reaches a specified target level. An alert is simultaneously sent to council workers who can then install barriers.
The solar-powered signs are located on Brennans Dam Road at Vineyard, Tennyson Road at Tennyson, Old East Kurrajong Road at East Kurrajong and Roberts Creek Road at Blaxlands Ridge.
The alert system, provided by Queensland company Substation 33, was a project of the Rotary clubs of Kurrajong North Richmond, Richmond and Windsor.
Grants from The Rotary Foundation of Australia and Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise Foundation paid for the signage, which was installed in liaison with Hawkesbury
City Council.
“They have been installed in flood prone areas where there is little light or warning for people that a road might be flooded,” said Past District Governor Mina Howard.
“The Hawkesbury-Nepean flood plain was decimated by five major floods between February 2020 and July 2022, which prompted our call to action.
We considered these signs best utilised on secondary roads where flooding may occur in more isolated areas and identified the sites in consultation with Hawkesbury City Council.
“These systems have been installed in over 130 sites in councils around Southeast Queensland, regional NSW and Victoria.
“The system is fully automated and measures water depth every 30 minutes.”
Paul Rogers, of the Rotary Club of Kurrajong North Richmond, Peter Chidgey, of the Rotary Club of Richmond, and Rod Hartas, of the Rotary Club of Windsor, worked with Phil Bow and Stephen Burns and Mayor Len Sheather from Hawkesbury Council to establish the project.
There are six Rotary clubs whose members have real-time experience in responding to these flood events, many of whom have a high level of expertise and helped play a role in this project,” Mina said.
Hawkesbury City Council liaised closely with Hawkesbury SES over the past 12 months to identify the four most suitable locations for the signs.
The sensors use materials recovered from electric vehicles, laptops and smaller devices.
The installations mean residents and visitors to the Hawkesbury River area now have an added safety measure so they can avoid dangerous flood waters.
