Kentish Council Mayor Kate Haberle outlines plans to make Railton floodproof

It’s back to the drawing board for a North-West council after its flood mitigation project ballooned in cost. Here’s how much more it would cost.

A boy sits on a bench on the main street at Railton and watches the flood waters surge along in 2011.

A North-West town that has experienced three floods since 2011 will not be getting a levee after its costs were projected to have skyrocketed to $45m.

The Kentish Council has confirmed it will reassess its Railton Flood Mitigation Project, the construction of which was capped at $13m when first proposed.

The town of Railton experienced a significant flood in 2011, with water inundating more than 40 houses and businesses.

Railton also experienced minor flooding in 2016 and 2022, with neighbouring town Latrobe bearing the brunt of most of the damage during those weather events.

Redwater Creek, Railton. Flood waters on the North-West coast. Picture: Simon Sturzaker - Thursday October 13th 2022.

Kentish Mayor Kate Haberle remained adamant that the flood mitigation project would still happen.

“It will go ahead but in a different way. We are looking at a different design so that we can ensure the safety of Railton residents,” Ms Haberle said.

“This was a huge project.

“If we want to do a one-in-100-year event, that would have been $45m, and we haven’t got the money for that.”

Ms Haberle said the council would instead look at a mitigation project that protects the town against a one-in-20-year event flood.

“We could clear drains and make sure culverts are all free.

“Often during the year, especially in winter when all the leaves, branches and twigs are falling down, they certainly clog up the drain.

“We’ll be looking at ongoing work at Railton to ensure that there’s a good flow of water throughout the town.

“But as far as doing a big levee, we’re not looking at that at this stage.”

However, Ms Haberle said the council would look at other measures to minimise the impact of future weather events.

“We certainly want to get a flood warning system for Railton and potentially incorporate rain gauges and stream monitoring.

“We are all concerned that the initial project had to be changed, but that doesn’t mean to say we’re not going to do something down there.”

Originally published as Kentish Council Mayor Kate Haberle outlines plans to make Railton floodproof