Cootamundra-Gundagai council to consider raft of flood protection measures

Cootamundra has been smashed with two natural disasters in the past six months, including a one-in-100-year flooding event back in October 2022.

A new floodplain risk management study and plan - which will be discussed at Tuesday night's council meeting - has suggested a number of high-priority measures to mitigate future risks, such as diverting water into a newly-constructed basin at the Cootamundra Turf Club upstream of the town.

Cootamundra-Gundagai mayor Charlie Sheahan said councillors were likely to support the findings and vote in favour of the study being placed on public exhibition.

"The community is pretty sensitive at the moment about the flood issue so we're encouraging the community to put submissions in," Cr Sheahan said.

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"What we're planning to do is organise a public meeting at a later date where WMA, the authors of the report, can be present and field the questions from the community to help design an appropriate way forward."

The study also recommends the installation of water level sensors and boom gates at the Poole Street and Thompson Street causeways, which would close when water levels rise to 0.3 metres.

The report also advocates for the construction of a $1.2 million, 2.5-metre high and 1.62-kilometre long levee along McGowan Street.

The potential cost of the recommendations could total about $6 million, on top of the $500,000 each it will cost the council to purchase any homes deemed to be at risk of flood damage and the $20,000 per annum on vegetation management of the creeks.

Cr Sheahan said the options may not protect the town - which is located on a floodplain - against one-in-100 year flooding, but will help alleviate the impact of smaller-scale flood events.

"They're things we'll have to look at, seriously consider and approach the government for funding to help support," he said.

Of the recommendations, Cr Sheahan said the basin at the Turf Club might be the best option and they have suggested totally renovating the racecourse at the same time to sit atop a new levee.

"It is our role now to find the best way forward to find the best protection and resilience for our community," he said.

Councillor Abb McAlister said the more pressing issue was to tackle the vegetation in the creeks before another weather event hits town.

"It makes like a dam in effect and they're pushing some water out into the residential and business areas. It's just got to be cleaned out," Cr McAlister said.

The council has cited damage to aquatic life when clearing of vegetation has come up in the past, but Cr McAlister said he only wants areas within the township cleared.

"You can worry about aquatic life, but at the end of the day my biggest concern is human life," he said. "I think they were very lucky in October last year not to lose human life.

"It just concerns me that one day when we get another one of these rain events we could lose human life quite easily."

In October, 400 homes were evacuated after a severe weather system hit, with around 75 millimetres of rain causing flash flooding along the Jindalee and Muttama creeks.

More than 80 rapid damage assessments were carried out on impacted properties in the days after the flood, 37 of which were deemed damaged with 23 deemed "not habitable".

The town was hit again in March this year with flash flooding caused by an unexpected downpour, which saw the town lashed with 93 millimetres of rain.

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