A FLOOD levee bank at Wilson and Parfitt roads in Wangaratta will be heightened after a tender for construction worth $3.241 million was awarded by Rural City of Wangaratta councillors this week.
The works include removal and reconstruction of portions of the levee bank and construction of sealed walking tracks on the crest of sections of the levee bank.
In 2010 the Ovens River reached 12.8 metres, with water exceeding the levee bank, putting properties on Parfitt and Wilson roads at risk.
The levee upgrade works are required to address identified deficiencies associated with the height of the levee bank.
Council director – community and infrastructure, Marcus Goonan, reported at Tuesday's meeting that council has received $3.5 million (GST exclusive) in funding via the National Flooding Mitigation Infrastructure Program to upgrade the flood levees at three locations including Wilson Road, Merriwa Park and Parfitt Road.
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He said during the tender phase of the project the levee at Merriwa Park was removed from the scope, as some minor adjustments to the design were required and this will be tendered again shortly.
Council has committed a cash contribution of $1.8m (GST exclusive) as part of the 2022/23 adopted budget providing a total project budget of $5.3m (GST exclusive).
Mr Goonan explained that the National Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Program only allows construction of the levees exclusive of a one in 100–year flood event, plus three more.
He said the levee height is based on structural metadata of the levels of flooding throughout the municipality.
"If we get a storm that is above that one in 100–year event, plus three more, water will come over the top of the levee," he said.
Cr Jack Herry suggested that with the impacts of climate change the frequency of flood events could become greater, which could alter the one in 100–year risk.
"The flood modelling that we're currently working with doesn't take into account climate change and the impacts of increasing rain events and changed systems, which all indicators are suggesting that we will have larger events and they will be more frequent," he said.
Cr Harvey Benton, who moved the motion to approve the works, said it had been several years of work to get to this stage.
"We can't go on measuring things out of something we don't have a measurement to...I think we have to work with the measurements and the data we've got with us," he said.
A question from resident Malcolm Carson asked about who would be responsible if the water was to breach the levee bank and Mr Goonan took the question on notice for a later reply.
The contract for the levee works was awarded to Cooks Earthmoving Laser Landforming Pty Ltd and the project is due for completion in April 2023.
