By Dominique Tassell
Locals have complained about the state of waterways in the Warwick area, claiming that Southern Downs Regional Council have cut down trees and left them in the river.
One particularly large log is sitting in Condamine River by the bridge on Park Road.
A resident of a property near the bridge says his paddock was flooded, with huge amounts of top soil lost.
Another resident says his 100-year-old fence was washed away due to the debris left in Bracker Creek that then swept through his paddock earlier this year.
He says trees have been cut down by Council workers, then cut into smaller pieces and left in the creek.
He says the debris would take less than a day to clean up, and if left there could cause significant property damage in future floods.
“That will just wash down in the next flood and end up in the river with the log,“ he said.
He also questioned why the aforementioned log in Condamine River was not removed, as he estimated it would take mere minutes to do so.
A Southern Downs Regional Council spokesperson stated that “Council engages an arborist to remove dangerous trees across the Southern Downs region“.
“The contractor attends once per fortnight and addresses these issues in order of priority.
“Trees that have fallen into the river are assessed, and if they are deemed to be posing significant risk to the surrounding properties due to flooding, action will be taken accordingly.
“In some circumstances, fallen trees in the river act as habitats for the local wildlife.
“Along Bracker Creek, there are many private properties where fallen trees are located.
“Without specifying the exact location, Council is unable to determine if the fallen trees are on Council land.
“If they are on Council land, the same method as described above would apply.“
