Moonee Valley Council to fix five flood zones following climate change report

Five flood zones affecting 4000 homes in Moonee Valley will be future proofed under a council plan to combat the effects of climate change. And works have already been budgeted for two.

The Maribyrnong River could overflow and flood areas of Moonee Valley if climate change has its way.

Moonee Valley will future proof several identified flooding zones in preparation for the devastating effects of climate change.

A new report from council has identified five zones prone to, or expected to be prone, to flooding around the municipality.

The council has already put aside $900,000 for works for two of the five areas which have been funded through the capital works program.

A generic picture of flooding. Picture: Brett Coomer

El Reno Crescent in Airport West and Laluma St in Essendon are the two areas already identified for works.

Houston Ave in Strathmore, Taylor St/Mount Alexander Rd in Moonee Ponds and Warrick Crt in Avondale Heights have also been identified as areas at risk of flooding.

The flooding areas have been determined by which streets would be at risk when heavy rainfalls result in stormwater that exceeds the capacity of local drains.

Approximately 4000 properties within the areas are anticipated to be affected.

Overflowing storm water drains will be one of the culprits behind the shift. Picture: Richard Dobson

Cr Jim Cusack said Moonee Valley has always been a municipality prone to some flooding.

“We can’t get around that – the fact we’re surrounded by a river and some fairly large creeks, and that natural run off occurs,” he said.

He said development and increasing population was putting pressure on the existing drainage systems.

“Moonee Valley is going to be subject to more issues involving climate change and this is part of our preparation,” Cr Cusack said.

The Maribyrnong River, which runs through Moonee Valley, will also contribute to increased flooding.

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Moonee Valley Sustainability Group founder Logan Shield said while he thought it was a great initiative, more needed to be done to combat climate change.

“This is all linked to climate change and we need to reduce our emissions as rapidly as possible to avoid these kind of worsening impacts,” he said.

“We need to understand the risks and take the appropriate action to avoid the costs that will inevitably come with those risks when flooding does happen.”

Informal community consultation will be held to seek feedback on study’s recommendations.

@EmilieBaxter_