Council & Business
14 August, 2023
Flood mitigation works for Avoca, Lexton
The Pyrenees Shire Council will seek further funding to investigate flood mitigation options at the Avoca Recreation Reserve, while Lexton’s Burnbank Creek footbridge has been removed to help with future flood mitigation. The small bridge was...
The Pyrenees Shire Council will seek further funding to investigate flood mitigation options at the Avoca Recreation Reserve, while Lexton’s Burnbank Creek footbridge has been removed to help with future flood mitigation.
The small bridge was removed by council last week and Pyrenees Shire Council CEO Jim Nolan said pedestrians can still cross the creek via Williamson Street.
“After talking to the community in the wake of the floods, feedback was received that removing the footbridge could help mitigate the impact of future flood events,” he said.
“The community continues to have safe pedestrian access across the creek via Williamson Street.
“Our flood recovery team is working with communities across the shire to help rebuild and repair after last year’s floods.”
Meanwhile, the Avoca Recreation reserve ground was significantly impacted by the flooding events in October and November last year — fencing was swept over and debris dragged across the oval.
It’s not the first time the grounds have been flood-affected, with Avoca copping flood damage in 2011 and 2016.
At its July meeting, council supported an application be made for funding under the Victorian Government’s Risk and Resilience Grant Program, which aims to reduce the risk and limit the impact of disasters on communities and economies.
The funding would be used to build on the 2019 Avoca River Flood Study, which outlined several potential ways to reduce the impact of future floods, including channel clearing, raising levee banks, and building a bund at the Avoca Recreation Reserve.
“Major flood events have been devastating for users of the recreation reserve and incredibly disruptive for the Avoca community as a whole,” Mr Nolan said.
“It’s critical that we continue to push to find ways to mitigate future flooding events.”
Mr Nolan said if funding is secured, the next step will be to engage with the community about the range of options available.
“No decision has yet been made on whether to build a flood barrier,” he said.
“If this application is successful, we’ll be working closely with local residents, user groups at the recreation reserve and the broader community to figure out which of our options is the most viable.”