Roma flood levee construction starts today

A flood levee to safeguard the South West Queensland town of Roma will begin construction today.

The successful bigger for the $10.4 million project was Ostwald Bros, which will design and construct the embankment from the Roma Airport towards Lovell Street.

The company has partnered with engineering company SMEC, which has successfully delivered thousands of civil, transport, water, environment and power projects in more than 80 countries.

“It is a very strong team for the design and construction of the levee embankment and we are committed to delivering flood mitigation for Roma that will stand the test of time,” said Ostwald Bros CEO Brendan Ostwald.

Ostwald said his family had been personally touched by the flood events which have devastated Roma in recent years, so the company is “proud to be able to build the levee for Roma to keep the town safer from flood waters”.

“Ostwald Bros has a strong local presence in Roma and, more than ever, our heart is in this job,” he said.

Stage 1 of the Roma Flood Mitigation project, launched this morning in a sod-turning ceremony with Maranoa Regional Council, is designed to protect the town from a 1 in 1000-year flood event. Based on flood modelling data, Stage 1 is projected to reduce over-the-floor flood risk for approximately 483 homes in a flood event like that of 2012.

Earthworks commence in early October and the project should be completed by May 2014.