March flood sweeps away planned program of works

16 June 2017

Flow-on impacts on work priorities will last for years

The impact of the March flood will flow into the next financial year and beyond as Council rejigs its works program to deliver an additional $27.5 million of repairs to flood-damaged road, water and wastewater assets.

In some cases, critical repairs will bring some projects forward in the works program and bump others down the list, deferring them for a number of years.

As many of our road repairs, such as bottom side slips, require specialist engineering design and construction techniques, it will take many months of planning before these projects can get underway to provide a permanent solution. Examples include slips on Clothiers Creek and Cudgera Creek roads.

As the repair process moves forward, it is likely that we’ll uncover more work that needs to be done to achieve value-for-money outcomes.

“While Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) basically pay us to return an asset to its pre-flood condition, in some cases it will not make sense to not rebuild a more robust asset where it’s needed,” Manager Roads and Stormwater Danny Rose said.

Council’s initial application for eligible road damage under NDRRA was for $17.5 million to fix flood-damaged assets, leaving Council with a $6 million shortfall to fund from its capital and operating budgets.

“To take $6 million out of our existing budgets will significantly disrupt our planned capital and maintenance programs,” said Mr Rose. “The clean up to date has already overspent our existing budgets leaving no room for things like washing down flood-affected roads or additional weed control runs on our rural roads.”

With respect to Water and Waste Water assets, while the flood caused $800,000 in direct damage we need to bring forward some future works and spend $3.5 million to restore services but also increase protection in future flood events. This provides the best value for money for the community. The same goes for building repairs and plant and equipment replacements.

“To get the best value for money in recovering from this flood, we need to be flexible in balancing the quality and permanency of the repair with community expectations and dollars available.”

Projects to be brought forward: Byrrill Creek Bridge replacement; upgrade of Uki Water Treatment Plant; water main connection on Tweed Valley Way at Blacks Drain and scour protection of the trunk water main between Condong and Tumbulgum; and, replacement of the Tumbulgum jetty.

Projects deferred: Road and drainage upgrades at Gray Street, Tumbulgum, Kirkwood Road and Philp Parade, Tweed Heads South, and Reynolds and Nullum streets, Murwillumbah; kerb and guttering Elizabeth Street, Pottsville, and Thomson Street, Tweed Heads; waterways repairs, including Foysters Jetty abutment, Sunset Boulevard revetment, Tweed Heads West, and Mooball Creek log wall.

The March 2017 Flood Report can be found on Council’s website at http://www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/FloodReport.