BRIDGE ROW A DISGRACE

THE stand-off between the State Government and the council about taking responsibility to prevent future flooding around the John Muntz Bridge at the Coomera River is a disgrace.

This is a critical planning and safety issue for the city where politicians and civic leaders refuse to take responsibility.

Imagine if this had happened with the Hinze Dam.

The most recent upgrade of the dam, raising the wall by 15m, kept 80 per cent of the peak flows from homes at Surfers Paradise and the canal estates in the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie. A consultant’s report in 2006 had warned that “currently over 4000 existing properties downstream of the Hinze Dam could potentially be affected in a 1:100 flood event and result in $147 million in damages”.

It took some time but politicians back then finally agreed to fund a solution. Those properties were saved after Debbie.

What about Coomera? That is where the Government and council must now turn its attention. Similar to the Nerang River, there are warnings. In May, the Bulletin obtained a consultant’s report which predicted the Coomera River would reach another flashpoint during the next flood.

The consultants said the banks need “substantial armouring”, which means the government or the council must bring in large boulders at a huge cost to taxpayers.

“Left as it is the bank will continue to erode and the failure of the bridge during future floods is highly likely.”

What has been the response? Albert MP Mark Boothman calls it “duck shoving” and accuses the Labor Government of handing the problem to council.

The Government is taking responsibility for its road network, fixing the bridge which is the major link west to Hinterland communities from Oxenford on the Pacific Motorway. The council owns land in the area used by the pony club but is yet to get a formal request from the Government.

Three certainties arise from all of this. The new bridge is causing the erosion, it will fail again without proper work upstream and the changing of the river’s course places homes downstream at risk.

Politicians need to take a lead from history here. Fix it before the disaster becomes a bigger disaster.