Council seeks funds for flood mitigation in Avoca

Published on 28 July 2023

Pyrenees Shire Council will be making an application for funding to further investigate flood mitigation options at the Avoca Recreation Reserve as part of its ongoing flood recovery program.

The Avoca Recreation Reserve was significantly impacted by extreme weather and flooding events in October and November 2022. This is not the first time flooding has impacted the area.

“Major flood events have been devastating for users of the Recreation Reserve and incredibly disruptive for the Avoca community as a whole,” Pyrenees Shire Council CEO Jim Nolan said. “It’s critical that we continue to push to find ways to mitigate future flooding events.”

At its July meeting, Council supported an application be made for funding under the Victorian Government’s Risk and Resilience Grant Program, which aims to reduce the risk and limit the impact of disasters on communities and economies.

The funding would be used to build on the 2019 Avoca River Flood Study, which outlined several potential ways to reduce the impact of future floods, including channel clearing, raising levee banks, and building a bund at the Avoca Recreation Reserve.

Mr Nolan says that if funding is secured, the next step will be to engage with the community about the range of options available.

“No decision has yet been made on whether to build a flood barrier,” said Mr Nolan. “If this application is successful, we’ll be working closely with local residents, user groups at the Recreation Reserve and the broader community to figure out which of our options is the most viable.”

Photo: Avoca was severely impacted by the October 2022 flood event (Credit: Rhys Walkley)