Darlington Point Floodplain Risk Management and Plan

Inundation of normally dry land occurring when water overflows the natural or artificial banks of a stream, river, estuary, lake or dam.

Councils have discretion in determining whether urban drainage problems are associated with major or local drainage. For the purposes of this manual major drainage involves:

• The floodplains of original watercourses (which may now be piped, channelised or diverted), or sloping areas where overland flows develop along alternative paths once system capacity is exceeded; and/or

• Water depths generally in excess of 0.3m (in the major system design storm as defined in the current version of Australian Rainfall and Runoff). These conditions may result in danger to personal safety and property damage to both premises and vehicles; and/or

• Major overland flowpaths through developed areas outside of defined drainage reserves; and/or

• The potential to affect a number of buildings along the major flow path.

The merit approach weighs social, economic, ecological and cultural impacts of land use options for different flood prone areas together with flood damage, hazard and behaviour implications, and environmental protection and well-being of the State’s rivers and floodplains. The merit approach operates at two levels. At the strategic level it allows for the consideration of social, economic, ecological, cultural and flooding issues to determine strategies for the management of future flood risk which are formulated into council plans, policy, and EPIs. At a site specific level, it involves consideration of the best way of conditioning development allowable under the floodplain risk management plan, local flood risk management policy and EPIs.

Both the State Emergency Service and the Bureau of Meteorology use the following definitions in flood warnings to give a general indication of the types of problems expected with a flood. Minor flooding: Causes inconvenience such as closing of minor roads and the submergence of low level bridges. The lower limit of this class of flooding on the reference gauge is the initial flood level at which landholders and townspeople begin to be flooded. Moderate flooding: Low lying areas are inundated requiring removal of stock and/or evacuation of some houses. Main traffic routes may be covered. Major flooding: Appreciable urban areas are flooded and/or extensive rural areas are flooded. Properties, villages and towns can be isolated.

Measures that modify either the flood, the property or the response to flooding.