Singleton Council agreed on Tuesday night to defer its votes on the adoption or rejection of the Singleton Floodplain Risk Management Plan, (FRMP).
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The plan was prepared for council by BMT, and includes two volumes consisting of around 400 pages of detailed mapping, measurements, historical background, government planning and regulations and a number of recommendations for how our community can best mitigate, manage and survive the next flood.
It makes for sobering reading in the light of the February 2022 floods in Lismore. Should Singleton have a similar record flood according to the FRMP the 'total tangible' flood damages could cost $251,351,000.
At a one percent AEP or a one in 100 year flood the damages to non-residential property would be $11 million.
The report says flood risks are increasing due to climate change, land use changes and new infrastructure projects.
During the public access period before council considered the plan speakers including Jan Fallding and Belinda Charlton spoke on the FRMP.
Following their submissions to council the decision was made to defer the vote on the plan to allow for consideration of the matters raised in the public forum and it is now expected to come back to council after a councillor briefing.
Singleton Mayor Sue Moore said one of the issues raised was the need to ensure the Singleton bypass, now under construction, could be used as a flood evacuation route.
"Our council directors are working with NSW Transport to ensure this can happen," she said. "I know some people don't wish to see any further development in downtown Singleton given the flood risks and what has happened in places like Lismore.
"But as is the case in so many towns like ours, when they were first developed they had to be close to water sources, and changing that location is no easy matter and nor is preventing further development".
ICr Moore would like to see improved flood warning systems including the installation of more river gauges.
"We have no Hunter River water level gauges from Singleton until Greta and we have asked and asked for one to be installed on Elderslie Bridge, but to date nothing has been done about our request," she said.
"For those of us down river of Singleton we have to guess and rely on previous data to know when the peak flood will arrive."
Louise Nichols
From cattle to coal. Once a specialist agriculture writer today its about community, in particular, the Upper Hunter. I have lived and worked in the region for more than 30 years. Land use issues and the future direction of our region. But you cannot take ag out of the picture - our food and how we grow it is the basis of all life. Covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast rural issues is now part of my role with ACM.
From cattle to coal. Once a specialist agriculture writer today its about community, in particular, the Upper Hunter. I have lived and worked in the region for more than 30 years. Land use issues and the future direction of our region. But you cannot take ag out of the picture - our food and how we grow it is the basis of all life. Covering the Hunter and Mid North Coast rural issues is now part of my role with ACM.
