Community Meeting #1 - SUMMARY

1. Historical Flood Observations & Photos

• Community members shared photographic records from past flood events (2011, 2016, 2022).

• Observations included water pooling on one side of Bucknall Street for several days after creek levels dropped, and floodwaters flowing over the highway and back toward the creek in 2011.

• In 2022, water entered some properties from the creek side, with flooding just over door sills in some cases.

2. Flood Sources & Creek Conditions

• Discussion regarding the different sources of flooding. Some residents observed they are impacted by flooding from the western catchments and others observed they were impacted by McCallum Creek.

• There were concerns about sediment build-up and reed growth in the creek, balanced with appreciation for the natural values of the waterway.

3. Vegetation Management

• Several participants supported limited vegetation clearance in the creek section downstream of the railway to just beyond the bluestone area, while still valuing the natural environment.

• One-off removal of non-native species has been undertaken in the past and could be an option for the future within current approval and funding pathways, but long-term maintenance remains challenging.

• Residents noted that historically the creek was dredged of sediment by Council.

4. Localised Impacts

• Residents noted that around four houses on Bucknall Street were inundated from the creek to above floor level in 2022, and others impacted also along the Pyrenees Highway from western catchment runoff.

• One resident observed local catchments were notably wetter in 2022 compared to 2011, with more water lying around after rain.

• One resident noted that the old roadhouse on the Pyrenees Highway was always one of the first affected by local water accumulating.

5. Flood Level Measurements

• A community-installed gauge board on a tree upstream of town has recorded significant flood peaks across multiple years, showing varying relationships between flows in the creek and the level at this gauge board. It was suggested that vegetation growth across floodplain may have influenced 2022 water levels at this location.

6. Modelling and Underlying Data Concerns

• Questions were raised about previous flood mapping not matching the 2022 event on the western catchment upstream of the Pyrenees Highway. It was discussed that the 2022 event has not yet been modelled, and given the levee construction was incomplete at the time, previous models are not comparable. It was noted that the 2022 event will be modelled in this project, and we will present the model results back to community for feedback.

• New survey of the levee has been captured, new LiDAR (laser survey) of the catchment has also been captured. These new datasets will be reviewed and used in new modelling for this project.

7. Flood Pathways

• Some residents along the creek spoke about historical knowledge of flooding, suggesting that in big events flooding would come from the west, not directly from the creek. This aligns with the modelled flood behaviour.

8. Community Education

• A suggestion was made to produce a clear, visual explainer (e.g., video) to help the community understand the various flooding mechanisms affecting the town.