Orange residents will have the opportunity to have their say as Orange City Council plans the best ways to minimise the risk of damage from local flooding.
Last year Orange City Council adopted the city’s updated Flood Study. The new study mapped new areas of potentially flood-prone land and set up new planning controls to manage new building approvals in affected areas.
This project has now reached the next stage: the development of a Floodplain Risk Management Plan which will chart a range of measures to reduce the impact of flooding, such as the building of detention basins and clearing vegetation from flood-prone areas.
Orange Mayor Cr Reg Kidd believes it’s important to hear the views of the community.
“We have to take the responsibility of trying to reduce the impact of flooding seriously,” Cr Reg Kidd said. “It mightn’t happen for a decade, or it might happen tomorrow after a big storm. A drought is a great time to get on with preparations for this work.”
“Residents can already see the kind of projects that can make all the difference, such as the big detention basin just south of the Emus sporting fields. If the creek broke its banks, there’s now a large open area where flood water can go safely without creating damage. That takes the potential pressure off residential areas and the CBD downstream. Another basin has recently been completed off William Maker Drive.
“There’ll be tough decisions as we plan which projects to build and in which parts of town. While the council will be considering expert opinion, it’s important that we hear the views of the community and learn from their insights as we put that plan in place which will guide projects for years to come.
