Narrowing down the right time open flood gates is a tricky task when river heights can rise in a matter of minutes, but Trent and his team had an added challenge when it came to opening the gates at Big Hill Beach.
This week is Local Government Week, which is a week dedicated to the important work councils do for their communities.
To acknowledge our committed staff, we are sharing their stories from the March flood event and recovery.
When the Kempsey Shire's catchment areas were approaching capacity, Trent and his team were on the ground monitoring river heights throughout the days and nights, pinpointing the exact moment to open flood relief gates.
"There were regulars checks carried out before opening the flood gates. The challenge with the Big Hill floodgates was that we needed to excavate sand to form a water path to limit the impact of erosion and to lead the water directly to the ocean."
This proved a logistical challenge for Trent and his team as the excavation of the sand needed to happen prior to determining the ideal moment to release the water and relieve the catchments that were feeding into the lagoon.
"The team worked very well together to get the job done in the necessary timeframe, so when the moment came to open the gates, we had timed it perfectly, and this was a stand-out for me."
While coordinating actions leading up to and opening the floodgates were main roles in the flood event, Trent and his team's tasks extended beyond this and admits major challenges of his experience was the unknown of what was to come."
"Some of the challenges faced included the everchanging weather conditions, unpredictability of river heights and ensuring that local residents and community members were kept safe and well informed."
