New flood measures for high risk spot

A RANGE of 'relatively simple and cost effective' measures to reduce flooding risks adopted by council.

The Orara Way flooded between Nana Glen and Glenreagh last year. Picture: Sarsja Rackham-Ralph

A RANGE of "relatively simple and cost effective" measures to reduce flooding risks in Glenreagh have been adopted by the Clarence Valley Council.

At its meeting last week, council voted to install two new flood monitoring gauges, an automatic gauge at Glenreagh Bridge and a flood level alert system at the Bluff Bridge north of the village, incorporate new flood mapping into the Clarence Valley LEP, update relevant council development control plans and advise agencies and those who made submissions what action was being taken so relevant plans could be updated.

Council also noted an application had already been made by council staff for funding from the NSW Government's Floodplain Management Program to install the remote alert or webcam at Bluff Bridge.

Council environmental planning coordinator, Scott Lenton, said the Glenreagh Floodplain Management Study reviewed a range of management options or measures across three categories - property modification, response modification and flood modification.

"Property modification measures apply to existing properties or proposed developments, response modifications are actions in response to flooding that aim to reduce potential social, economic and environmental damages, while flood modifications are measures that attempt to change flood hazard or change the way flooding behaves," he said.

Mr Lenton said the installation of an automatic gauge adjacent to the Glenreagh Bridge was considered worth pursuing to overcome confusion reported by Glenreagh residents as a result of forecast flood levels based on the manual flood gauge located adjacent to the Glenreagh bridge varying to live flood height data published by the Bureau of Meteorology taken from an automatic flood gauge located 2.5km further upstream.

"There would be substantial community benefit in overcoming confusion at times of flooding if the flood level advice issued by the BoM was consistent with the flood levels showing on the manual gauge," he said.

He said the Bureau of Meteorology supported the installation of a new automatic gauge at the bridge.

Originally published as New flood measures for high risk spot