Brisbane CatchmentSoutheast Queensland is made up of 14 major catchments and sub-catchments. The Brisbane River catchment has an area of ​​almost 14,000 km2 making it the largest catchment in the area. The Brisbane River is also the longest river in south-east Queensland at 309km. The basin includes several small dams and two large dams; Somerset and Wivenhoe. The Wivenhoe aimed to prevent future flooding and was completed in 1984. Figure 1 shows the Brisbane River catchment, including the associated rivers and streams that empty into the river. Floods In January 2011, south-east Queensland experienced two major floods which had a significant impact on many communities across the Queensland coast. On January 10, the city of Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley were flooded. On 13 January 2011, the Brisbane River experienced its second highest flood since the beginning of the 20th century (Honert & McAneney 2011, pp. 1150). Flooding is a natural event that occurs when there is an overflow of a large amount of water beyond its normal limits. There are five distinct physical phenomena that cause flooding: (ICA 2011, p. 7)1. Excessive precipitation (land flow and water flow)2. The functioning or failure of water reservoirs and flood protection levees (dam releases and flooding due to dam/levee breaches)3. High coastal water levels (storm surge flooding)4. Underwater earthquakes (tsunamis)5. Geomorphic events (floods accompanying collapse of landslides and glacial lakes) In Australia, rainfall, dam-related and marine floods are the most common groups of floods. Some examples of recent flooding are the Toowoomba/Lockyer Valley and the Brisbane River. The Toowoomba/Lockyer Valley has been classified as a flas...... middle of paper......, 2013. "Brisbane City Council's Land Use Planning Response to the Brisbane River Flood of January 2011." Australian Government. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Network. 15 April 2014. http://www.regional.gov.au/local/awards/leading/entrydetails.aspx?entry=LA001&entryYear=2012Queensland Government. 2013. “Brisbane River Catchment Flood Study.” – Department of Natural Resources and Mines. Np, nd Web. 15 April 2014. http://www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/water/brisbane-river-catchment-flood-studyQueensland Reconstruction Authority, 2011. “Planning for Stronger, More Resilient Floodplains: Part 1 - Interim Measures to Support floodplain management in existing planning schemes”. http://www.qldreconstruction.org.au/u/lib/cms2/resilient-floodplains-part1-full.pdf Brisbane City Council. “Flood Awareness Map.” http://floodinformation.brisbane.qld.gov.au/fio/