City’s Smart Drainage program earns national award

The award-winning City of Gosnells Smart Drainage program has now gained national recognition, scooping up an accolade at the 38th National Awards for Local Government in Canberra this month.

The program, which uses smart technologies to improve the way drainage is managed in the City, claimed victory in the Disaster Readiness and Recovery category and won against other strong contenders including the City of Gold Coast in Queensland, the City of Launceston in Tasmania and Hawkesbury City Council in New South Wales.

Mayor Terresa Lynes attended the awards ceremony at the Australian Council of Local Government Gala Dinner in Canberra, where she gratefully accepted the City’s award from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“I feel proud to see a team from the City of Gosnells recognised on a national level for the innovative and effective work they are doing in our local community,” Mayor Lynes said.

“It is also rewarding for the Council to see the City’s team acknowledged for their work on a project that has had a positive impact on residents and businesses within the City of Gosnells.”

The technologies implemented as part of the program include tractor-mounted CCTV to investigate inside pipes and push cameras to go where the tractor cannot reach.

Other features include Ground Penetrating Radar to identify and accurately size voids in the soil surrounding damaged pipes, expanding foam technology to fill those voids and flow meters linked to texting software so the City’s drainage crews are called to the site before it actually floods.

The City will continue to roll out the flow-meter technology across recognised high-risk flooding locations within local boundaries.