Capalaba – Natural Hazards and Critical Infrastructure

Capalaba – Natural Hazards and Critical Infrastructure

Natural Hazards

To view Natural Hazard mapping layers for bushfire, flood and storm tides, or landslides visit the Redlands Coast Disaster Dashboard.

Bushfire

Capalaba has a number of large pockets of medium to high bushfire hazard spread throughout the suburb. These bushfire hazard areas appear in the south and west of the suburb which is dominated by smaller acreage properties bordering residential estates, along with sections of medium to high bushfire hazard located in the heavily developed residential areas of Koala Park and Maridale Park to the east of Ney Road. There is also a section of high to very high bushfire hazard that surrounds the Capalaba Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Properties adjacent bushland areas may be at risk of ember attack should there be a bushfire in the vicinity. During a wildfire, embers can travel up to 3km in front of a fire line which means residents need to be vigilant and be prepared. For more information about bushfire preparedness and what to do during a bushfire, visit the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services website to create your Bushfire Survival Plan.

Redland City Council employs a range of fire mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of bushfire on Council owned land and impact to the surrounding areas. These strategies include hazard reduction burning (back burns), fire breaks and weed management. Redland City Council works with its Local Disaster Management Group partners to undertake fire mitigation activities around the city.

Flood Prone, Storm Tide

Capalaba has a number of waterways running through the suburb, the largest being the Leslie Harrison Dam located on the Tingalpa Creek. Current mapping indicates that the Capalaba Regional Park and the sportsfields along Old Cleveland Road are susceptible to flooding during heavy rain events and storm tide. Leslie Harrison Dam, is an un-gated dam, meaning that when it reaches 100 per cent capacity, water flows over the spillway into the lower reaches of Tingalpa Creek.

Tingalpa Creek forms the boundary between Brisbane and Redland cities; below Leslie Harrison dam the creek flows past open space, sporting fields and low lying land before flowing into Waterloo Bay. Coolnwynpin Creek flows from the edge of Sheldon and through park residential, urban and commercial areas of Capalaba and Alexandra Hills and is a major tributary of Tingalpa Creek. The upper Tingalpa Creek starts in the west Mount Cotton hills and the Venman Bushland National Park reserve land as many small meandering fleeting streams. Wallaby and Buhot Creeks are tributaries and there are many more unnamed tributaries of Tingalpa creek. Tingalpa Creek flows into Leslie Harrison Dam, a major water supply dam connected to the south-east Queensland water grid. The upper catchment waterways mostly flow through bushland.

Seqwater has developed a comprehensive Emergency Action Plan for the Leslie Harrison Dam to meet the requirements of the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 in order to manage any crisis or dam failure.

Landslide

Landslide Hazard mapping indicates Capalaba has a limited risk of landslide with the majority of low, medium and high landslide hazard being identified around the Leslie Harrison Dam; specifically around Howlett Road, Allambee Crescent and Quentin Street. Acreage properties are prominent in this area with sparse residential development, which limits the potential impacts of landslide. In addition to this, the Redland City Plan, through the Landslide Hazard Overlay, attempts to mitigate the impacts of the landslide hazard by requiring more robust engineering for developments built within the identified landslide hazard areas. It is important for engineers and geologists to evaluate slope stability and any landslide threat during development assessments so that effective and timely remedial measures can be implemented.

Critical Infrastructure

Critical infrastructure at the time of a disaster event includes utilities such as power, water, sewerage, telecommunications, gas, road and rail networks. Impacts of a disaster on these services may have far-reaching long-term effects for mainland communities.

Sewage

Capalaba’s long established residential areas are connected to the sewer network, however the acreage properties located in the south and west of the suburb are not sewered and rely on a mix of gravity-fed septic systems and on-site sewerage treatment plants located on the properties to manage the wastewater.

The on-site sewerage treatment plants require electricity to function, therefore it is recommended that these systems have a back-up generator to cope with extended periods of power outages which can occur during severe weather events. Capalaba’s sewer network connects to the Capalaba Wastewater Treatment Plant which is located behind Crotona Road and is surrounded by bushland identified as being a high bushfire hazard.

Many of the RCC sewage pumping stations have fixed generators onsite to provide backup power in the event of a power failure. Those that do not have fixed generators have the facilities to plug in a portable generator; several are available that can be taken to any site that requires it.

Water

Capalaba receives its water supply from the Alexandra Hills Reservoir located at Alexandra Circuit. The reservoir services the Redland City’s northern suburbs via a pipeline network that is both gravity-fed and pressurised. The reservoir holds a mix of water from the Leslie Harrison Dam and the Herring Lagoon bore field on North Stradbroke Island. This is possible because the Alexandra Hills Reservoir connects to both the Leslie Harrison Dam and the Mount Cotton Reservoir in Tallow Wood Court.

The Mount Cotton Reservoir is in turn connected to the Heinemann Road Reservoir in Mount Cotton, which connects to both the SEQ Water Grid and North Stradbroke Island. Redland City is connected to the water grid via a pump station on Gramzow Road in Mount Cotton, which allows water to be pumped to and from the city via the Heinemann Road Reservoir. This network of reservoirs, pump stations and pipelines ensures that water can be moved around the network and that multiple water supplies are available to residents living in all areas of Redland City.

Electricity

Running through the bushland area toward the southern end of Capalaba is the main power supply to Cleveland which is carried on an 110 kV overhead powerline network. This network utilises steel towers within a maintained corridor to mitigate the risks posed by natural disasters such as fire and flood.

The majority of Capalaba has been established for many years, so is serviced by an overhead powerline network. Overhead powerlines are more susceptible to damage during severe weather which can result in power outages and fallen powerlines. Fallen powerlines can cause significant dangers to the community, so be aware that any object in contact with powerlines could be live. The area surrounding fallen powerlines is more dangerous in wet conditions as sea and tap water are an excellent conductor of electricity.

Remember: any metallic objects, including fences, will be electrified if they touch or are even close to a live fallen powerline. Even a tree branch can be a potential conductor of electricity if it is in contact with a live wire. Stay away from fallen powerlines and alert others of the danger – contact 000 or Energex on 13 19 62.

Gas

Capalaba has a pressurised gas main that runs along Old Cleveland Road, Finucane Road and Redland Bay Road. This gas main is used by commercial enterprises and services the Capalaba business district along Redland Bay Road and the Capalaba Park and Capalaba Central Shopping Centres.

There is no domestic reticulated gas service within Redland City, however there are homes within the area that use gas bottles to service hot water systems and cooking appliances. Residents are reminded to be diligent with the appropriate storage and maintenance of any gas bottles that they have located on their property.

Telecommunications

Capalaba is connected via landlines to the telecommunications and data networks. There is good mobile network coverage in Capalaba with limited to no mobile reception black spots in the area. Telstra is the major supplier of telecommunications to the region; other suppliers include Optus and Vodafone.

Connection to the National Broadband Network (NBN) is now available across the majority of Australia, with various connection types for both wired (copper, fibre optic, and hybrid fibre-coaxial) and radio (satellite and fixed wireless). It is important to know the type of connection you have; fibre to the building (FTTB), fibre to the curb (FTTC), fibre to the node (FTTN), fibre to the premises (FTTP), or hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC), there is also satellite or fixed wireless. The majority of connections are FTTN and FTTP, closely followed by HFC.

It is important to note that any equipment connected via the NBN will not work during a power outage, including VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones. For more information about what happens in a power blackout for the type of connection at your residence, please go to https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/what-happens-in-a-power-blackout. Certain connection types can request battery back-up solutions through their internet service provider; battery back-up is required for all Priority Assistance customers who suffer from a diagnosed life-threatening illness.

If you have a medical alarm, emergency call button, autodialler, security alarm, monitored fire alarm or lift emergency phones at your premises, please contact your equipment provider to confirm whether your equipment will work via the network in the event of a power outage. Further information is also available on the NBN website and how to register these devices; this assists the NBN in identifying premises where support maybe be required to minimise service outages https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/device-compatibility.

Road Network

REMEMBER: If it’s flooded, forget it – BACK IT UP!

Summer months bring rain, cyclones and unstable weather conditions to Queensland. More than half of flood related deaths in Queensland are the result of people driving through floodwater. It can happen anywhere – roads, creeks, dams, parks or backyards. Residents should be aware of the dangers connected to floodwater or swift flowing water such as: slippery surfaces; uneven ground; strong currents; sharp objects; electrical current; fences; vehicles; rocks; long grass; tree branches; sewerage; and chemicals.

If you get trapped in floodwater, you not only put your life and the lives of the people with you at risk, but you also put the lives of the rescuers at risk too.

Localised flooding may temporarily restrict access and cut roads in some areas of Redland City. Please consider this when planning to drive during periods of heavy rain. See a list of the areas that may be impacted by localised flooding.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Plan ahead and keep yourself, family and friends safe. Check out the Floodwater Safety information available here https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/prepare/flooding.

Rail Network

Currently there is no rail infrastructure in Capalaba and there are no plans to extend the rail network to Capalaba in the near future.