Flooding of the Orara River has caused the Orara Way to close on many occasions at Bluff Bridge. As a result of the isolation and inconvenience this causes for Glenreagh and surrounding communities, plus through traffic between Grafton and Coffs Harbour, the Bluff Bridge Flood Monitoring Project was created. Its goal is to ensure that any road closure can be communicated in a timely manner to all motorists, and it is co-funded by us and the NSW Government under the Floodplain Management Grants Program.
The camera monitoring system is designed to live-stream images so residents can see the bridge status in real time, and is complimented by a remotely monitored flood gauge and automatic signs controlled by water levels in the Orara River. During normal conditions the camera images are updated every hour during daylight hours, and more frequently during potential flooding. Images are time and date stamped to enable people to tell when they were taken.
Note the Water Level shown in the graph below is the water level relative to the bridge deck and is not the river level.
