Flood fears: Don’t just identify it, fix it, they say

A TOORA resident is calling for infrastructure improvements and maintenance to reduce the risk of flooding and inundation, rather than just identifying the problem.

That’s in response to the South Gippsland Shire Council’s proposal to put through a Planning Scheme Amendment highlighting the risk of flooding in 62 localities across the shire, involving more than 2600 properties, including about 900 newly-added properties identified as likely to be affected by flooding.

As previously reported, council is seeking feedback on its Draft Planning Scheme Amendment, with properties impacted by the proposed mapping changes largely located within the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (WGCMA) jurisdiction.

Properties in Foster, Hedley, Kongwak, Welshpool, the Tarwin River catchment and along South Gippsland’s coast are included.

Council has already held two in a series of consultation sessions, at Leongatha and Welshpool, with five more scheduled at Foster, Tarwin Lower, Sandy Point, Hedley and Toora in the next week.

But Foster business operator and chamber of commerce representative Janine Best said most people were completely unaware of what was being proposed.

“I see there’s a meeting coming up in Foster and I feel that it’s important but honestly I don’t know enough about it to even ask the right question,” said Ms Best.

“I don’t feel that there’s been enough discussion about what’s being proposed and the implications of it,” she said.

The proposed amendment was prepared by council and the WGCMA and combines 10 completed flood studies informed by historical flood information, physical site conditions, computer modelling and local knowledge.

Council did not undertake flood mapping. That work was carried out by the WGCMA and other State Government agencies, with council stressing that now that the studies have been undertaken, it has a responsibility to update the Planning Scheme to incorporate the findings.

Ian Dubignon has a couple of Toora properties in Grip Road that would be impacted by the planning restrictions, with one partially in a Flood Overlay zone, while the other is entirely within that zone.

The partially affected property’s classification comes from the ‘Grip Drain’ that runs across the front, which he argues has not been properly maintained and isn’t on his land.

He also notes that three pipes were removed from the town’s seawall and replaced by a single pipe that he believes isn’t wide enough.

Mr Dubignon highlighted the existence of a large sea gate near Jetty Road with steel flaps that long since seized up and was covered over, the result of a historic decision to stop maintaining the gate.

“They haven’t maintained the system to allow the water to get away,” he said, arguing that rather than imposing Flood Overlays and possible planning restrictions, flood mitigation measures should be implemented first.

Mr Dubignon also touched on the downside of the seawall, saying: “If they take the seawall away, there’s areas that are flooding that would not flood,” explaining water coming down from the Toora Hills ends up on the town flats and can’t escape because of the wall.

He conceded without the sea wall, there might be inundation from high tides on farms that are closer to the wall, but said that for the wall to function efficiently, it needs to be properly maintained and monitored.

Eddie Fowler of Welshpool Outdoors was one of those impacted by the Boxing Day flood that hit the town a couple of years ago and is also calling for flood mitigation measures rather than planning restrictions he believes will hit land values.

“I’m thinking that north of Welshpool, on the topside of the bridge, they need to slow the flood down through various methods, putting walls in or something, just to slow it down so the creek will handle the water,” Mr Fowler said of the need for additional infrastructure to prevent a recurrence of the Boxing Day flash flood.

While flood planning controls already apply to many South Gippsland locations, Foster hasn’t previously been subject to such controls, likely impacting property in the Stockyard Creek and Bennison Creek areas for the first time.

A community feedback session will be held at Manna Gum Community House in Foster this Wednesday, June 10 from 11am until 12pm.

Remaining feedback sessions include:

Foster, Manna Gum Community House, 33 Station Road, 11am-12pm Wednesday June 10 (booking times available on request 10-11am).

Tarwin Lower, Tarwin Lower Mechanics Institute Memorial Hall, 27 River Drive, 11am-12pm Friday June 12 (booking times available on request 10-11am).

Sandy Point, Sandy Point Community Centre, Church Parade, 2-3pm Friday June 12 (booking times available on request 3-4pm).

Hedley, Hedley Hall, 6588 South Gippsland Highway, 11am-12pm Monday June 15 (booking times available on request 10-11am).

Toora, Toora Community Hall, 23 Gray Street, 1.30-2.30pm Monday June 15 (booking times available on request 2.30-3.30pm).