Flood alerts are common in the South Australian areas, but the most prone area is the Adelaide metropolitan area. This is because Mt. Lofty range becomes the origin of many creeks and rivers that can cause floods, damaging life and property. In addition, flash floods also threaten the region as they develop within less than six hours.
A flood control system is thus essential for Adelaide. It refers to the system and series of actions used to prevent and reduce detrimental effects caused by floods. The most common techniques for controlling Adelaide floods are installing rock rims and sandbags, maintaining slopes with vegetation, and constructing and expanding drainage channels.
This article will further discuss how the Adelaide flood control system works and why it is important.
How is the Adelaide flood different?
Most of the area coverage of Adelaide was built on a floodplain, making it prone to a high risk of floods. Flash floods are most common here that develop in less than an hour, and the rural upstream catchment flows are streamlined through urban areas. The Australian government has found solutions for the floods in two different systems, out of which one is suitable for the South Australian area – Adelaide.
The most suggestive method to use is rainfall-based flood forecasting, which can immediately warn the threatened community. The forecast will be efficient and speedy with minimum delay. This is possible because, in 1989, Brown Hill Creek installed a network of automatic rain gauges that report and sends data to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Brown Hill Creek is found in the inner suburbs of Adelaide and receives enough rainfall. Here, rain gauges are monitored for hydrologic and hydraulic analysis. They monitor rainwater flow and weather patterns to control the flood. The design also has many components and structures working together to alleviate flood damage. For example, robust levees are built, and their structural integrity is constantly monitored.
How does the Adelaide Flood Control System work?
The flood control system works with a reservoir’s help, which snowpacks most of the water supply. It stores water and is cautiously monitored to release water into the river by surpassing dams.
During a storm, the reservoir is designed to release more water into the streams, holding the capacity for runoff water from mountains. This overflowing water is managed by bypasses that divert the water into a second storage source. Then, using a weir, the excess water is released when the channels reach maximum capacity.
With the help of this system, the recent storm was meticulously controlled to maintain consistent water flow in the river. Such measures release the overflowing water into different channels and divert the water from flooding urban areas.
Conclusion
The organizations and government of Adelaide have been working continuously to develop and succeed in improved flood control measures for the past decade. Better forecasting techniques, coordinated operations, robust levees, and strengthened infrastructure have recently improved Adelaide floods’ control.
Several laws have also been passed to prioritize flood control systems in Brown Hill Creek. As a result, experts and officials are confident that they can monitor and control the flood control system for immediate reflex actions during a heavy storm.
