Ballina community invited to shape future flooding plans

THE Ballina Shire Council has opened two studies for public consultation to enhance community resilience and preparation to withstand the challenges and impacts of future flood events.

Current studies open for public consultation include the Ballina Island and West Ballina Local Stormwater Drainage Management Study and Stormwater Masterplan (the SWMP), and the Alstonville Overland Flood Study, Wardell Overland Flood Study and Lennox Head Overland Flood Study.

The studies focus on overland flooding when heavy rain causes water to flow over the ground, usually when the drainage system can’t cope with the amount of water. This flooding can happen in streets, yards, or low-lying areas where water builds up and does not drain away quickly enough.

Manager of Engineering Works at Ballina Shire Council Paul Crozier said the community had been invited to share descriptions and photos of observed overland flooding.

“This work involves conducting detailed flood mapping and modelling projects to better understand flooding, identify ways to minimise its impact, and incorporate effective mitigation strategies into the region’s future plans,” Crozier said.

“This includes detailed accounts from the March 2022 flood event to help refine and calibrate the models. Information from other significant rainfall events is also valuable and welcomed.”

The SWMP and flood studies aim to understand the current capacity of the stormwater network and model and map overland flooding over a range of storm events.

They look to identify areas where flooding occurs during high rainfall events due to stormwater capacity limitations and to identify potential upgrade projects.

The Overland Flood Studies will provide up-to-date information to support town planning, guide future development, and assist in emergency response to future storms. A public exhibition of the findings from the Study will be held in 2025.

An online survey is open to the public until December 20.

For more information or to participate, visit the council’s consultation website.