Millions committed towards Railton and Kentish for flood prevention

10 years on from some of the worst floods the state has ever seen the government has committed millions to two town flooding mitigation projects to prevent history from repeating. LATEST >>

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IT WAS 2011 when Tim Wilson received a flurry of phone calls he still hasn’t forgotten.

When the now-Kentish Mayor entered Railton, he was confronted by a “devastating” scene – the region’s most destructive floods in decades.

Floods North West Tasmania, Railton, a Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) firefighter wades through water.

“We went into the township and the roads were just peeled away like butter,” he said.

“We had over 40 business and local houses flooded at that time.”

Cr Wilson said Kentish Council came under criticism – and that some of the flak was justified, spurring them to clear willows and weeds and prepare for another onslaught of rain.

But more work was needed – some $10 million more, for creek widening and the construction of urban walls.

LATROBE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 06: The Mersey River breaks its banks and floods several small towns cutting of road access across the coast on June 6, 2016 in Latrobe. (Photo by Heath Holden/Getty Images)

“We got stuck,” he said.

“We’re a small council, we were willing to put some skin in the game and we put up some $3.4 million and the federal government gave us around about the same.”

But there was still a shortfall that meant 10 years later, the work still wasn’t complete.

Now, as of Sunday, the Kentish municipality has officially become unstuck.

Acting Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced the state government would contribute $3.4 million to the Railton Flood Mitigation Project, meaning there’s “no reason now not to push on”.

“Railton has flash flooded right back into the 1800s. It’s been a long term problem,” Cr Wilson said.

“We’re going to control the water, make an orderly flow.

“We can’t promise the earth because nature has a way of undoing people’s hubris. But that’s our goal.”

He said urban walls would be constructed within the township, but not so many that Railton would become “a concrete jungle”.

Similarly, the state government will also add more funds – some $3.66 million – to Latrobe’s $14 million flood mitigation project.

Latrobe suffered devastating losses in its 2016 floods, including the tragic death of a 75-year-old woman.

With the loss of life, livestock and homes, Acting Mayor Graeme Brown said many Latrobe locals still hadn’t recovered from the emotional toll.

“There’s still a lot of feeling in our community about the floods they went through in 2016 and there’s a lot of wondering what’s going on to protect us,” he said.

The cost of the Latrobe project has blown out from $4 million to $14 million due to complexities in constructing earth levees and concrete walls, following a geotechnical survey, hydraulic modelling and engineering work.

Cr Brown said he hoped construction would start before Christmas.

Kentish Mayor Tim Wilson, Acting Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Latrobe Acting Mayor Graeme Brown at Bells Parade, Latrobe, which was “completely covered in water” during 2016’s devastating floods. Picture: Supplied

“To wake up in the morning and see what was out there was unbelievable. You couldn’t fathom the amount of water that was in the town,” he said.

“Today with the announcement the state government has made, everything will come to fruition.”

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