Floodplain Management

The Bureau of Meteorology website provides daily River Height Bulletins (external link) across Victoria.

Within the Glenelg-Hopkins region, the Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority (CMA) (external link) is responsible for floodplain management. Before the development of CMA’s, rural drainage was managed by drainage area committees and trusts. Today, there are 32 of these bodies in the region that assist the Glenelg-Hopkins CMA in floodplain management.

The Catchment & Water Division, Department of Sustainability & Environment, is responsible for floodplain management and implementing the State Flood Strategy (Watson, 2000). In September 1998, Gutteridge Haskins and Davey (GHD) were commissioned by the Glenelg-Hopkins CMA to prepare a Regional Floodplain Management Strategy Draft. This Strategy provides a five to ten year planning framework, while three year business plans are to be formulated. It outlines measures which both reduce flood risk and damage cost, yet still reap the hydraulic and environmental benefits of the floodplain. A copy of the Floodplain Managament Strategy is available for download from the Glenelg-Hopkins CMA website (external link). Flooding is one of the main problems in the Glenelg system below the Rocklands Dam. Serious flooding appears to originate in the Dundas Tablelands because of the somewhat higher rainfall than in other parts of the region, and because Rocklands catches floods originating in the Grampians. Nuisance flooding occurs along the coastal streams during winter.

Flooded salt lake North of Woorndoo

“With the involvement of the affected local community to maintain and enhance the capacity of the floodplain to convey and store floodwater whilst implementing flood management measures which both reduce flood risk and damage cost and yet still reap the benefits of the floodwaters.”

Key issues relating to assets on the floodplains that were highlighted in the Strategy include:

• inventory detailing the GHCMA’s floodplain assets are limited at the present time;

• effectiveness in terms of providing protection to life, safety and property of the GHCMA’s floodplain assets needs to be assessed in a desk-top study;

• the GHCMA can control the construction of works or structures in floodplains in conjunction with local government authorities via statutory land use planning processes;

• levees which are detrimental to the upstream and downstream communities in flood events need to be identified and appropriate action taken; and

• structures such as road embankments, bridges, irrigation channels etc. which act as levees need to be properly managed and maintained.

Current local flood studies and floodplain management plans for the region include:

• Portland Floodplain Management Study. Rural Water Commission of Victoria and City of Portland. 1988.

• Lake Hamilton Spillway. Grange Burn Flooding Investigations. GHD, 1992.

• Report on the Western District Floods of March 1946. State Rivers and Water Supply Commission. 1946.

• Flood Study of Wendouree Area West of the Midland Highway and of the Miners Rest Area. R J Keller & Associates, 1996.

• Flow and Quality Analysis of Burrumbeet Creek. Simpson, 1985.

• Invermay Area Flood Study for Shire of Bungaree. R J Keller & Associates, 1993.

• Land Liable to Flooding – Background Report. Warrnambool City Council, 1996.

Other useful references regarding flood and floodplain management in the region include:

Glenelg Regional Catchment and Land Protection Board (1997). Glenelg Regional Catchment Strategy, Glenelg CaLPB, Hamilton.

Glenelg Shire (1998). Casterton & District - Local Flood Emergency Response.

GHD (1987). Report on Lake Hamilton Spillway/Grange Burn Flooding Investigation.

Howard, R. J (1998). Levee Design Construction and Maintenance.

Levee Management Issues Scoping Study.

Lowe Consulting Engineers (1997). Assessment of Glenelg River Improvement Trust Assets for Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority.

The former NRE (1998). Victoria Flood Management Strategy Summary.

The former NRE (1998). Victoria Flood Management Strategy.

Rural Water Commission of Victoria (1991). Database of Existing Levee Bank Systems in Victoria.

Warrnambool City Council (Date unknown). Floodplain Policy Manual.

Watson, N. (2000). Floodplain Management. unpublished Department of Natural Resources & Environment website, Catchment & Water Division, Melbourne.

Related Links

A downloadable version of the Flood Study for Russell's Creek and Merri River, North Warrnambool (external link) is available on the Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority website.

A wide range of flooplain data can be accessed via MapShare (external link) in the form of an interactive map, using information from DPI/DSE. The Catchment and Water Mapper section provides information on themes such as rivers, 1 in 100 year flood, floodways, and river basins.

The Floodplain Management Plan for Lake Burrumbeet and the Burrumbeet Creek Catchment (external link) is available for download from the Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority website.

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