Council acknowledges the Carisbrook Levee designers (Entura) were not engaged as part of the Independent Review process. Comments made by the Independent Reviewer in relation to the Levee Design are opinions based their desktop of supplied design and project documents, a site visit and local community consultation throughout the review process.
March 2025 update: Next steps for Carisbrook's flood management plan
Developing an updated Flood and Drainage Management Plan for Carisbrook moved a step closer at a meeting of Central Goldfields Shire Council on 26 March, 2025.
At the meeting, Council endorsed the Draft Flood Study Advisory Reference Group Terms of Reference and appointed Tullaroop Ward Councillor Anna de Villiers along with three community members to the group.
In 2024, the North Central Catchment Authority secured $300,000 through the Victorian Government’s Flood Study Reclamation funding program for Council to deliver and review the Plan which was last developed in 2013.
The 2013 plan recommendations included the construction of the levee, waterway maintenance, drainage works, updated information in the Municipal Flood Emergency Plan and a planning scheme amendment – all of which have now been implemented.
Central Goldfields Shire Mayor Cr Grace La Vella said the updated Flood and Drainage Management Plan was part of Council’s continued commitment to flood mitigation in Carisbrook.
“The new Plan will allow us to better understand the flood risk for Carisbrook for the full range of flood events, extension of the mapping area to include Flagstaff, and to reassess potential mitigation options for the town that may complement existing mitigation.
“With advances in flood modelling software, this is an opportunity for us to update the original modelling as well as include the latest climate change science and consider and incorporate several of the medium-long term recommendations identified in the independent review undertaken by Fred Spain in 2024.
“As we develop and implement the updated Carisbrook Flood Management Plan, the newly established Flood Study Advisory Reference Group will support this process by providing guidance, expertise and stakeholder perspectives.
“The Group will include members from SES, DEECA (Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action), NCCMA (North Central Catchment Management Authority, 3 x Council officers, Tullaroop Ward Councillor Anna de Villiers, CFA and the Department of Transport and Planning.
“Three community members – Martin Mackay, Aaron Beaton and Giuliano Marcon – have also been appointed following a public expression of interest process. Guilano Marcon was also appointed to serve on the Tender Evaluation Panel for the project consultant role.
“The group will meet bi-monthly or as required and will serve for the duration of the project which is anticipated to take approximately 20 months.
“We thank the community members for their willingness to be involved and look forward to the updated Plan being completed in due course.”
The review and update to the Carisbrook Flood and Drainage Management Plan will include:
- Hydrologic and hydraulic modelling to determine flood information for the full range of flood events up to and including the probable maximum flood.
- Calibration to historical flood events, particularly floods that have occurred since the original study was completed in 2013.
- Modelling of climate change scenarios based on recently revised recommendations.
- Assessment of the feasibility of a range of potential mitigation options including recommendations from the independent review.
- The information produced will enhance the flood resilience of the Carisbrook community by improving and building on the available flood information. The project outputs will be used for land use and development planning, emergency management planning and response, and community education. The project will include consultation with the local community to collate local knowledge and assess potential mitigation options.
- The information and mapping produced by the study will be made freely available to the public and will also be used to inform VICSES Floodsafe programs.
November 2024 Update: Implementation Plan for Carisbrook Levee
At the September 2024 Council Meeting, Councillors noted a report on the Carisbrook Independent Levee Review.
The Independent Review – completed by independent engineer Fred Spain of NSW Public Works - identified that there are a number of actions that can be taken so that the Carisbrook community can be confident in the levee.
To address these actions, Council officers have developed the Draft Carisbrook Independent Levee Review Implementation Plan(PDF, 451KB) .
It was also noted at the Council Meeting that Entura, the specialists who designed the levee, were not consulted with as part of the Review.
Council supported the recommendation that Council officers instruct the Independent Reviewer to interview Entura and make any necessary updates to the report.
Other recommendations included seeking formal feedback on the report from key stakeholders and technical experts including the North Central Catchment Management Authority, Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action, Entura and Water Technology.
The review process has now concluded and Council thanks the members of the Carisbrook Levee Community Reference Group for their commitment and contribution during the review.
Officers are now working on implementing the recommendations from the September 2024 Council meeting report as well as the short-term actions in the Draft Implementation Plan (actions identified as being able to be completed within 3 months or less).
In early 2025, Council will advertise an expression of interest for a new community advisory committee to assist in delivering the actions in the Draft Implementation Plan as well as an updated Carisbrook Flood Study and Flood Management Plan which is being funded through the North Central Catchment Management Authority.