The Shire of Carnarvon has appointed GHD as project manager for their flood preparedness project.
Shire of Carnarvon President, Eddie Smith said GHD had a strong track record in delivering infrastructure projects across Western Australia.
“We’re confident that they will assist the shire to ensure the Improving Flood Preparedness Project is delivered to a high standard in a timely and cost-effective manner,” he said.
A working group of three project partners has been established to implement the project, comprising the Shire of Carnarvon, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER).
As part of the Gascoyne River Flood Modelling component of the Improving Flood Preparedness Project, aerial photography and survey (LiDAR) has been captured for Carnarvon and a corridor along the Gascoyne River extending approximately 60km upstream to Rocky Pool. The survey data will be converted into a digital elevation model, which is a three-dimesional representation of the land surface, for use in future stages of the project.
Consultants HARC are working on the hydrologic modelling component of the study. This involves assessing the rainfall and streamflow monitoring information from past events to understand how rainfall is converted to river flows in the Gascoyne River catchment. This modelling will then be used to predict river flows for future rainfall events of varying sizes.
As project manager, GHD will oversee all aspects of the project, including construction, communications, and stakeholder management. The project will involve updated river modelling based on high quality contemporary technology, repairs to flood levees, and review of drainage systems, all of which aim to mitigate the impact of future flooding events.
The shire’s flood preparedness project was established following a flood event in February 2021, at which time DPIRD engaged GHD to inspect the flood levee systems and identify mitigation works and strategies that could improve the region’s flood preparedness.
This project shows the shire’s commitment to their Strategic Community Plan that ‘Our economy fosters investment and productivity in industries befitting Carnarvon’s physical and natural environment and that grow our horizons’.
GHD’s recommendations were utilised for the development of the shire’s Improving Flood Preparedness Project, and formed the basis of the funding application to address the first stages of completing flood preparedness works.
The appointment of GHD as project manager follows an extensive search by the shire to find a suitable candidate.
Cr Smith said: “The shire embarked on a public tender process to appoint a project manager and invited expressions of interest from individual candidates. Ultimately, GHD were the successful applicant and come with significant insight into this vital project, given their initial involvement and extensive experience.”
