BACKGROUND
The Victorian Government has allocated $8.7 million in Flood Recovery funding to assist eligible north east landholders affected by floods. The North East CMA has mapped out priority areas for restoration works across the region according to the Victorian Government’s Flood Recovery funding criteria and will continue to deliver Flood Recovery as a priority program until June 2013.
Flood Recovery update - February 2012
Inspecting Flood Recovery works at Embankment Drive, Mt Beauty (17 Feb 2012)
Pictured: Representatives from Alpine Shire and the North East CMA toured Flood Recovery works at Embankment Drive, Mt Beauty (left to right) Rhonda Serpell (North East CMA Board Member), Mick Broughton (North East CMA Works Supervisor), Peter Sacco (North East CMA River Health Operations Manager), Ian Nichol (Alpine Shire CEO), Neil McCarthy (North East CMA Chief Executive) and Peter Roper (Alpine Shire Mayor)
FLOOD RECOVERY 2014
Kiewa River East fact sheet
FLOOD RECOVERY PROGRESSING WELL IN ALPINE SHIRE
The Mayor and CEO of Alpine Shire recently visited a Flood Recovery site at Mt Beauty to recieve an upadate about Flood Recovery works.
The North East CMA is undertaking rehabilitation works at Embankment Drive, Mt Beauty to address issues that resulted after flooding in October 2010. Works to date have included:
- emergency removal of blockages in waterways,
- alignment training using pile fields,
- bank stabilisation works using log brushing,
- rock armouring and reinstatement of native vegetation,
- re-construction of rock chutes and re-establishment of fences.
The Flood Recovery works at Mt Beauty are one example of a catchment-wide program being undertaken by the North East CMA.
Throughout 2012, the North East CMA will continue to roll-out Flood Recovery works at 420 locations across the catchment according to the Victorian Government’s three key funding criteria:
- restore river erosion resulting from flood where it threatens public assets or could cause a river breakaway,
- restore public assets and previous CMA works damaged by flooding, and
- remove flood debris that poses a threat of damage should flooding occur in future.
Key areas of focus for Flood Recovery in 2012 will be:
- Upper Murray - Nariel Creek, Cudgewa Creek and Mount Alfred
- Kiewa Valley - King River, Lower Kiewa River and Running Creek
- Ovens and King Valleys - Upper Ovens around Bright and Porepunkah. 15 Mile Creek.
Flood Recovery update - January 2012
The North East CMA is undertaking Flood Recovery works in the Upper Murray, Kiewa, King and Ovens Valleys.
Although extended periods of wet weather during 2011 restricted site access at times, we have undertaken Flood Recovery works on 200 sites in our catchment.
Our key areas of focus in 2012 will be:
- Upper Murray - Nariel Creek, Cudgewa Creek and Mount Alfred
- Kiewa Valley - King River, Lower Kiewa River and Running Creek
- Ovens and King Valleys - Upper Ovens around Bright and Porepunkah. 15 Mile Creek.
In coming months, weather permitting, we will undertake follow-up fencing and revegetation work on many of the 200 sites where we have undertaken preliminary stabilisation work.
In December 2011, we convened a series of community meetings to present the findings of an independent scientific study into the impact of flooding on channel change in the region. Learn more about ‘what we heard’ by downloading the report
Flood Recovery update - October 2011
Since October 2010, the North East CMA has undertaken works on 150 plus sites in the Upper Murray, Kiewa, Ovens & King Valleys, and responded to more than 700 requests for assistance from landholders affected by flooding.
- The CMA has completed structural works in the Nariel Valley, Wangaratta, Whitfield, Cheshunt, Fifteen Mile Creek, Barwidgee and Ovens areas.
- In coming months, weather permitting, the CMA will undertake follow-up stabilisation work, like fencing and revegetation.
The CMA is continuing to rollout Flood Recovery across the catchment, ensuring that we deliver this priority program on behalf of the Victorian Government. We have mapped out priority areas for restoration works according to the Victorian Government’s Flood Recovery funding criteria as follows:
- Restore river erosion where it threatens public assets or could cause a river breakaway - 66 sites
- Restore public assets and previous CMA works damaged by flooding - 268 sites
- Remove flood debris that poses a threat of damage should flooding occur in future - 39 sites
Read more about Flood Recovery in the media at:
http://www.bordermail.com.au/news/local/news/general/cash-to-finish-flood-repairs/2337406.aspx
Example project : King River
The North East CMA used salvaged hardwood trees, timber piles and gravel relocation to repair breakout and maximise habitat retention on the King River. This work was undertaken to restore river erosion where it threatened public assets or could cause a river breakaway.
Flood Recovery on the King River
April 2011
The North East CMA has received more than 650 requests from landholders for assistance related to flood damage.
Our flood recovery program is a priority for 2011.
During March:
- Our flood recovery work teams and contractors made good progress, particularly as drier weather conditions made it easier to access previously waterlogged sites. We completed structural works in the Nariel Valley, Wangaratta, Whitfield, Cheshunt, Fifteen Mile Creek, Barwidgee and Ovens areas. In coming months (weather permitting), we will undertake follow-up stabilisation work, including fencing and revegetation.
- we continued to assess requests for assistance to determine key priority areas for restoration in our catchment and to schedule flood recovery works over the next 18 months.
INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF WILLOWS DURING FLOODS
The North East CMA has commissioned independent research to assess how willows influnced channel change in streams during the 2010/11 flooding in our region.
During April we are inviting comunity members and key industry groups to share their views on this topic. We are encouraging people to tell us about the role willows played in local waterways, particularly during flooding in 2010 and early in 2011.
We will collate all views that we receive and provide these to the independent researhers so they can link community input with the overall research findings.
For further information on how to have your say on the role of willows in flooding, please see below advertisement.
Advertisement Role of Willows in Flooding
Update - March 2011
Since September more than 500 property owners have contacted the North East CMA to request assistance for damage caused by flooding. (See map for more details)
Assistance Requests in the North East
We are assessing all these requests, to determine key priority areas for restoration in our catchment and to schedule flood recovery works over the next 18 months.
We have now completed about 30% of current budgeted works, including works in the Nariel Valley, Wangaratta, Whitfield, Cheshunt, Barnawartha, Tom Groggin, Barwidgee and Ovens areas.
However due to consistently heavy rainfall across our region since September, some sites are extremely difficult to access, causing delays to our work schedule.
These sites remian a priority for works, and as access allows, we are revisiting sites to complete works. Where approrpriate we are also stockpiling materials near these inaccessible sites so resources are available and ready to deploy at the earliest opportunity.
Frequently Asked Questions (under construction)
Q1. What sites will be addressed under the flood recovery program?
We are prioritising and scheduling works according to the Victorian Government's funding criteria. This means that recovery works on a site must as a minimum, based on the CMA's assessment, be addressing one of the following criteria:
- Restore river erosion resulting from the flood, where it exposes an immediate danger to previous CMA works or to public assets or a threat of continued erosion of a magnitude that would endanger CMA works or public assets (such as a river breakaway);
- Remove flood debris that pose a threat of damage to public assets or CMA river health works sites;
- Restore previous river health works of the North EaSt CMA that were damaged by the flood.
North East Region flood situation report - Thursday, 9 December 2010
The North East Region received widespread rains last night, from 9am yesterday:
Mongans Bridge (Kiewa Valley) 135mm
Upper Buckland 98mm
Mt Hotham 95mm
Falls Creek 128mm
FLOOD SITUATION
There are major flood warnings for the Ovens, King, Kiewa and Upper Murray systems. According to the current river height bulletin the Ovens River at Eurobin and the Buffalo River downstream of the dam is at major flood level. The Murray River at Biggara, Mitta at Hinnomunjie, Kiewa at Mongans Bridge, Kiewa at Bandiana, Buckland at Harris Lane, King River at Cheshunt are at moderate flood levels. The CMA has requested manual readings of the gauging stations on the King River as we are experiencing some problems with the telemetered system.
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT
The CMA received a number of phone calls last night for assistance/advice or information. Operational staff have been deployed in all valleys to initiate damage assessment. Early reports suggest significant damage in the Upper 15 Mile Ck, Upper King (again), Happy Valley Ck, Barwidgee Ck, House Ck and Middle Ck.
PRIORITY SURVEY WORK
At this stage the most significant peak was in Yackandandah Ck‐ 4.16m (cf 3.6m in Sept 2010) at 7.30 pm on the 8th of December. This is the highest on record. This will be a priority for future survey work. Aerial photography is on standby, but this may only be deployed for the Murray system depending on flood flows today.
PRIORITY FOCUS
Immediate focus for the SES will be Myrtleford and Wangaratta. For the CMA our focus will be assisting the SES, damage assessment and monitoring the flood peak in the Murray system. As Lake Hume is full and the Kiewa and Upper Murray systems are expected to peak later today and tomorrow , flood flows below lake Hume will be of some concern/interest.
Snapshot of flooding in your area
You can download maps and charts at the bottom of this page for an overview of recent flooding across our region.
Click here for the new Flood Victoria website.
CMA FLOOD RESPONSE: SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER 2010
The North East Catchment Management Authority (CMA) is responsible for river health and floodplain management across north east Victoria.
When heavy rains hit our region in September 2010, the North East CMA immediately started its emergency flood response.
Here is a summary of the CMA's flood response program. Our integrated response is helping to protect and repair important community and environmental assets in our region.
Flood response – update # 3
- Supporting landholders - we're continuing to inspect farms across our region to provide technical advice to landholders and assessing damage to determine if sites will meet our funding criteria.
- Future planning - when the flooding occurred, we immediately started collecting information to assist river health and floodplain planning. We commissioned aerial photography for the mid to Upper Ovens, the mid to Upper Kiewa and the Upper Murray. CMa staff and contractors pegged waterways around Yackandandah, Tarrawingee, Harrietville and Wangaratta to mark out flood peaks.
Flood response – update # 2
We are continuing to prioritise protection of important infrastructure assets in our region.
- King River – we protected the Upper King River Road above Cheshunt where the river was breaking out and threatened to cut the road in half
- 15 Mile Ck – we realigned a section of the 15 Mile Creek that threatened to undermine and cut the Whitfield-Benalla Road
- Ovens River – we are undertaking works at Frosts Corner where the Ovens River migrations and blockages threaten to undermine the Great Alpine Road.
- Nariel Creek –we are working on the creek so that it is no longer flowing against the Benambra Road, threatening to cut off Willow Crossing Bridge. We worked with Towong Shire to stabilise McNamara’s Bridge to protect this structure.
Flood response program - update #1
The North East CMA's flood response program is operating across our catchment.
- We're continuing critical emergency river health works in response to flooding around Wangaratta, the Buffalo River, the King River, the Kiewa River near Mount Beauty and Nariel Creek, near Corryong.
- North East CMA teams and contractors are continuing to remove debris blockages on river systems that are threatening public infrastructure, particularly roads and bridges.
- We've inspected more than 60 farms across our region to provide technical advice to landholders wanting to undertake emergency responses on their properties.
Monitoring floods – why we do it, what information we collect
Throughout the September 2010 floods the North East CMA coordinated a flood monitoring program. This program included intensive aerial surveillance, flood flow measurements and analysis of river heights in the upper catchments. Our overall aim is to ‘calibrate’ or cross check information from a large range of sources.
As the flood peaks passed through the upper catchments, we undertook further aerial surveillance and on-ground inspections. The on-ground inspections included pegging and surveying of flood flow peak levels and further surveillance and photographing of accessible areas.
The information gathered during times of flood becomes a fundamental element for future planning, including:
- flood preparedness,
- flood risk analysis and
- future planning assessments.
To delineate the extent of flooding, it is desirable to determine recorded flood level and, discharge, and by using aerial photography and flood pegging.
We also collect and collate information on flood damages, particularly to public infrastructure.
We also assess flooding for basins within the north east catchment. For individual catchment studies, we have other objectives such as: identifying data deficiencies, reviewing relevant previous flood studies and reviewing of the effectiveness of existing food mitigation schemes. Development of recommendations for further work may be also necessary.
Kiewa
Ovens & King basin
Upper Murray and Mitta
9 December 2010 - river heights and peaks