Queensland councils have criticised the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) for ending free access to its real-time flood forecasting tool, Enviromon, warning of “potentially deadly consequences”. The system, used for nearly 30 years, provides data from rainfall and river level gauges to inform emergency alerts.
The BoM will replace Enviromon with a US-developed software, OneRain, which cannot be sublicensed to councils for free. Data will still be available via the BoM website, but updates will be sent every 15 minutes instead of the current five-minute intervals.
Brisbane City Council environment chair Tracy Davis called the change “reckless and dangerous”, stating it could end creek alerts and put lives at risk. The council estimates procuring its own software would cost $500,000 to set up, plus ongoing subscriptions.
Gold Coast City Council mayor Tom Tate estimated replacement costs at $600,000 over five years and urged the federal government to cover them, noting the BoM is a commonwealth responsibility. The Local Government Association of Queensland called on the BoM to provide an equivalent replacement service.
A BoM spokesperson said Enviromon no longer met cybersecurity and resilience standards, and that flood warning data would remain free on its website. Flash flood warnings are a local and state government responsibility under the Meteorology Act 1955.
The change also affects New South Wales emergency services, with the NSW State Emergency Service working with the BoM on alternative arrangements. Seqwater, which manages dams in south-east Queensland, is trialling a OneRain product as a replacement.
