COROWA, HOWLONG & MULWALA FLOOD STUDY
The Floodplain Management Process This project is supported by the NSW Government’s Floodplain Management Program which aims to reduce the impacts of flooding and flood liability on individual owners and occupiers, and to minimise private and public losses resulting from flooding. Under the Program, local government is responsible for managing flood liable land. The Floodplain Management Process, undertaken in accordance with the NSW Government Flood Prone Land Policy as outlined in the NSW Floodplain Development Manual, encourages the development of solutions to existing flood problems in developed areas, and strategies for ensuring that new development: • is compatible with the flood hazard, and • does not create additional flooding problems in existing developed areas.
Data Collection
NSW FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Federation Council has engaged consultants WMAwater to undertake a detailed Flood Study for the towns of Corowa, Howlong and Mulwala. The Flood Study will give Council a better understanding of the current flood risk to the community and support a range of Council functions including development, planning, community education and mitigation works.
Current Study
Newsletter 1 – February 2022
Flood Study
Floodplain Risk Management Study & Plan
Implementation of Plan
Aims of the Flood Study The Flood Study aims to understand and determine the nature and extent of potential flooding from the Murray River and local overland flow. The first stage of the Flood Study will collect, compile and review all available information, including valuable community knowledge and experiences of past floods. As part of the study, computer models will be established to determine flood behaviour in the towns and across the wider Murray River Floodplain. Flood risk mitigation measures will be developed as part of the next stage – the Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan. Newsletter Issue 1: February 2022
Flooding in Corowa, October 2016 1
The Floodplain Management Committee
What are Flood Marks?
Council has formed a Floodplain Risk Management Committee (FRMC). The FRMC will oversee the project and provide guidance to the consultants undertaking the project. The FRMS includes local community representatives (John Skinner – Howlong, Geoff Lewis – Corowa and Ross McHenry – Mulwala), Council staff, Councillors and NSW government agency representatives.
Flood marks physically show the height a flood rose to, or how far the floodwaters extended. Flood marks can include mud or debris lines on buildings or fences, or depth markers or signposts on inundated roads for example.
Study Area The study area for this project consists of the entire Murray River reach from Howlong to Mulwala, with a specific focus on the townships of Corowa, Howlong and Mulwala. Major Murray River floods occurred in the area in 1870, 1917 and 1975. Moderate flooding occurred most recently in October 2016. Local overland flooding will also be investigated, including the large rainfall event at Corowa on the 29/30 January 2022.
Flood marks are essential to flood engineers! Flood marks are used to make sure flood models are able to reproduce real flood behaviour as accurately as possible. This is called ‘model calibration’. Your information can help us build our flood models. We are specifically interested in collecting records of flooding such as photographs of flood marks or observations of flood behaviour you may have witnessed. We're interested in recent floods like January 2022, October 2016, as well as earlier floods (if you can remember back to the 70’s!)
How can I contribute to the study?
Questionnaire
Share Photos
Drop-in Session
Take a moment to complete the questionnaire about your experience of flooding:
Share your flood photos with us! Please provide details for each photo including the time, date and location at which they were taken. Photos can be sent to:
You can attend a community drop in session to ask questions and share your experiences of flooding.
www.federationcouncil.nsw.gov .au/Connect/On-Exhibition
A hard copy can also be picked up at Council offices. The completed questionnaire can be returned in person, posted to Council or scanned and emailed.
trevor.clark@federationcouncil. nsw.gov.au
Corowa: Monday 21 February 5:30 – 8:30pm at Council offices 100 Edward Street Mulwala: Tuesday 22 February 9:00 – 11:00am at Mulwala Library 71 Melbourne Street Howlong: Tuesday 22 February 12.30 – 2.30pm at Howlong Library 59 Hawkins Street For more information visit www.federationcouncil.nsw.gov.au/ Connect/On-Exhibition
Newsletter Issue 1: February 2022
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