Flood proofing for Katherine South: $10m for levee and drainage upgrade

NT Government

A multi-million dollar project to provide protection to properties and businesses in Katherine South from up to a Q20 flood event (similar to the 2006 flood) has the green light, with significant funding from the Australian Government’s $4 billion Emergency Response Fund.

The largest single project supported under Round 1 of the National Flood Mitigation Program and funded from the Emergency Response Fund, the Katherine South Flood Levy project receives $9.4 million in federal funds. The Northern Territory Government contributes the balance of $600,000 for the $10 million project.

Northern Territory Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics, Eva Lawler said construction is anticipated to begin in the dry season of 2022, now that a formal funding agreement between the Australian and Territory Governments has been finalised. The Northern Territory Government is also contributing a further$11 million towards the Katherine Flood Mitigation Program which includes the construction of the Katherine North Levee and headworks to support the release of flood-free commercial land to support growth in Katherine East.

“The project involves the construction of three kilometres of new levees, running along the eastern side of Katherine South to the southern tip, 1.6 metres above the ground,” Minister Lawler said.

“Works will include solid wall levees and road raisings. There will also be two-way cross drainage culverts constructed under the length of the levee.

“These works will protect Katherine in up to a Q20 flood, similar to the flooding event in 2006, and the development of parcels in Katherine East are specifically designed to support Katherine’s resilience to flood events like that experienced in 1998, to ensure access to essential goods and supplies.”

National Recovery and Resilience Agency Coordinator-General, the Hon Shane L Stone AC QC, said he was delighted to play a role in protecting a community very close to his heart.

“I was the Northern Territory Chief Minister during the 1998 Katherine flood and it left a really deep impact on me.

“When I visited the community in the immediate aftermath, I talked to people who’d lost everything. The hardest part for many was the loss of photos and other treasured memories – things no amount of money can bring back,” Mr Stone said.

The damages from the 1998 flood have been estimated at $70 million, with the broader cost to the community estimated at $201 million.

“The Productivity Commission and the Insurance Council of Australia say we spend 97 percent on mopping up after a natural disaster and three percent on getting ready. We need to flip this.

“Katherine’s new flood levee is a move in the right direction,” he said.

Twenty-two projects across all states and territories have been supported under Round 1 of the National Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Program, with a total of $50 million provided so far from the Emergency Response Fund.

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