Riverbank stabilisation works to get underway

Published on 22 June 2018

In coming weeks the City of Launceston will begin work on a riverbank stabilisation project to reduce the risk of the city's flood defence system being compromised in the future.

Earlier this year, during routine monitoring of the levee, subsidence was detected in the riverbank near Black Bridge at Inveresk.

While the subsidence is a safe distance from the levee, the Council is expediting remediation works to the bank as a precautionary measure, with the aim of limiting further subsidence in the future.

The Council proposes to install an anchored wall to stabilise the bank, which represents the most proven engineering solution for this section of riverbank.

The work is scheduled to take about three months.

The flood defence system is critical to Launceston, and the safety of residents and infrastructure in low-lying parts of the city.

Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said the flood levee defence system remains in good operational order, and that the Council had taken a conservative approach by deciding to rectify the riverbank subsidence as quickly as possible.

"While there's no immediate risk to the flood levee, and such a risk may not eventuate for many decades if at all, we believe residents in low-lying parts of the city deserve to have confidence in the flood levee defence system," Mayor van Zetten said.

"Subsidence in riverbanks is not unusual, which is why the City of Launceston regularly monitors and inspects the entire length of the levees.

"Monitoring and maintenance work regularly undertaken by the Council includes the use of precision GPS spatial data to monitor any deformation of the levees, the removal of unwanted vegetation, filling in of animal burrows and more.

"The Council has installed additional GPS monitoring points in the vicinity of the riverbank to enhance its monitoring capabilities in this specific area. That monitoring has indicated no significant movement near the levee.

"The work we are undertaking will ensure the defence system remains in excellent condition well into the future.

"However, it's important to remember that Launceston is a flood prone city, and we should all be mindful of that.

"In decades past we have seen devastating floods which have had enormous impacts on people's lives.

"We have developed the flood levee defence system and oversee its continued operation to limit these risks into the future, but there will always be maintenance and preventative maintenance works that need to be undertaken and this is an example of that.

"The City of Launceston encourages all residents in low-lying parts of the city to be mindful of flood risks, to keep a prepared emergency kit, and to make arrangements for pets or livestock in the event of a flood threat. Residents should continue to do this at all times of the year."