Resilient Rochester – Know your flood risk

Published on 18 August 2020

Residents and businesses in Rochester will soon receive an information pack as part of the Resilient Rochester Project.

Campaspe Shire General Manager Community, Mr Keith Oberin, said information packs will be distributed over the coming weeks and will equip the local community with tools to better understand the impact that various flood levels will have on their property.

“Every impacted property will receive a fridge magnet which outlines in simple terms how different Campaspe River heights will affect the area,” Mr Oberin said.

An example of this is the SES building on Victoria Street. The Campaspe River would have to reach 115.4 on the Rochester Town Gauge for water to threaten the floor area of the building. This was the level reached in January 2011.

“A major flood is 114.5 on the Rochester Town Gauge, so it takes a large major flood before this building is impacted,” Mr Oberin said.

In addition to the personalised information being sent to each property, two large community flood signs and six flood markers are being installed around Rochester.

“The signs are designed to give visual understanding of floodwater impacts at different Campaspe River levels at the Rochester Town Gauge,” Mr Oberin said.

A key component of the Resilient Rochester Project is to reassure locals that damaging floods like January 2011 are rare.

Rochester SES controller, Judith Gledhill said the Bureau of Meteorology issues flood watch and flood warning information, and without understanding what those messages actually mean, it’s easy to feel stressed about flood risk.

“Residents in Rochester can be reassured that minor, moderate and even most major flood heights will have no impact on their homes and businesses,” Ms Gledhill said.

Following the January 2011 flood in Rochester, a Flood Management Plan was completed in consultation with the Rochester community. The plan determined the potential impact of a range of flood events on Rochester and this information has been used to improve flood warnings and to make planning and emergency response activities in Rochester more effective.

The plan’s recommendations to improve flood warning and community information are being delivered through the Resilient Rochester Project by Campaspe Shire, with support from the local and regional SES and North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA).