Council & Politics
24 June, 2025
Report to be made public
PYRENEES Shire Councillors have approved the release of a draft final report on the flood mitigation investigation at the Avoca Recreation Reserve.
Adjoining the Avoca River, the reserve is prone to flooding and has experienced four major floods since 2010, with the most recent and significant in 2022.
The 2022 event was significant both in terms of cost and the prolonged closure of facilities, which had a substantial impact on the local community.
Building on the 2021 Upper Avoca River Flood Investigation, and with funding provided by the State Government, Water Technology Pty Ltd was commissioned to conduct the Avoca Recreation Reserve Flood Mitigation Plan.
The project, managed by the Pyrenees Shire with technical support from North Central Catchment Management Authority, included a full flood assessment and potential mitigation options to protect the Avoca Recreation Reserve and surrounding properties from future flood events.
One of the key elements of the investigation was community engagement.
Community in-person sessions were held at the reserve along with the opportunity to participate online.
At the commencement of the project, an inception workshop was held where user groups and members of the community observed that;
• Avoca received approximately 6 hours of flood warning, depending on rainfall intensity.
• The football oval and surrounding area has poor drainage and is often wet over the winter months.
• During the 2022 flood event, the Men’s Shed facility and football and netball clubrooms were closed for 10 months, which significantly impacted the community.
• During major flood events, lots of erosion and sediment movement has been observed around the Avoca River. Lots of sediment gets displaced and accumulated on the football oval after major food events, this has been reduced by a levee diverting the sediment away from the oval.
A number of suggestions came out of the workshop including calls to extend the existing levee or add a new levee around the reserve, relocating the Men’s Shed and relocating the entire sporting precinct to a new site.
Several draft mitigation options were presented to Avoca community members and the Avoca Recreation Reserve user groups where the overall feedback was positive.
Residents indicated a particular preference to protecting the clubrooms with flood barriers and where feasible, relocating the Men’s Shed and sporting facilities.
Council Officers have recently received the draft Flood Mitigation and Cost-Benefit Analysis report outlining the cost benefit analysis of each of the proposed mitigation options and recommendations.
The Avoca Recreation Reserve user groups have played a significant role throughout the Flood Mitigation Investigation project.
They contributed to the collation of data from previous flood events, actively participated in consultation, both in person and through online submissions, and provided valuable feedback on draft mitigation options.
A recent meeting of council was informed the 2022 flood had significant financial impacts on the Avoca Recreation Reserve facilities, costing a total of $1.4 million in damages.
The meeting was also told the flood also impacted significantly on the well-being of the community, as the time taken to repair the damage led to the extensive closure of the Avoca Recreation Reserve facilities.
Councillors agreed to share the Flood Mitigation and Cost-Benefit Analysis report with Avoca Recreation Reserve user groups and the community.
Council will also formally write to Avoca community members who participated in the project and provide access to the draft report.
A further report will also be prepared, following community consultation, seeking the formal endorsement of the recommendations contained in the Final Flood Mitigation and Cost-Benefit Analysis Report.