The ongoing concerns of Browns Crossing residents got an airing today (Monday) at a lunchtime meeting called by the Member for Oxley, Melinda Pavey, in Macksville to discuss the final hydrology assessment for Warrell Creek released in December last year.
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The Browns Crossing community consists of 26 families with a notable number saying the model underestimates both the rainfall and the velocity of flood waters.
Twenty locals were present and reiterated their concerns to Ms Pavey, as well as Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) GM Pacific Highway Bob Higgins, Senior Project Manager Chris Clark and WMA Water hydrologist Mark Babister.
Mr Babister began by responding to four questions he had taken on notice from the previous community meeting in May last year. These related to local rainfall data, maintenance of vegetation in the flood channel, scouring issues at the new exit ramp and velocity issues.
“We added the rainfall data provided by residents and found there was only a difference in calibration of 1 millimetre … I believe the design is still robust,” Mr Babister said.
Keith Baldwin asked why the flood model used velocities between 2.58 and 2.9 metres/sec when he had videoed logs moving at about 5 metres/sec in a minor flood last March.
“We are not convinced your model is better than what our eyes and videos are showing us,” Mr Baldwin said.
Mr Babister said that average figures were used and he was confident the flows were “not going that fast through the entire system”.
RMS would undertake a special management plan to ensure maintenance of the flood channel
- Pacific Highway GM, Bob Higgins
The mayor, Rhonda Hoban, raised concerns about the flood channel becoming overgrown and hindering water flows in times of flood.
She said the RMS seemed very certain there would not be a problem and asked if they would accept responsibility for maintenance should there be major scouring and the approach to Browns Crossing Bridge washed away.
“I want to ensure that shire ratepayers will not be any worse off once the handover from the RMS is complete and the project has moved on.” Cr Hoban said.
“And should these residents be isolated, will RMS assist with urgent repairs without the council having to jump through all the Natural Disaster Funding hoops, which are very time consuming?”
Mr Higgins said the RMS would undertake a special management plan to ensure maintenance of the flood channel.
“And if there should be a wash out, while the RMS will not commit to a new bridge, we would commit to assisting with urgent repairs,” Mr Higgins said.
After the meeting the mayor said she was pleased the RMS was prepared to accept a level of responsibility should there be issues.
“While I am not entirely happy, the meeting was certainly worthwhile and this is a good outcome,” Cr Hoban said.
Mr Baldwin said he and others were devastated.
“We had low expectations of what we would hear today but I feel we are still not being listened to and our questions about discrepancies are not being properly answered,” Mr Baldwin said.
I will now take this to the Ombudsman … I feel we are still being stone-walled
- Keith Baldwin
Fellow resident Richard Townend said the discussion was simply going around in circles.
“The bottom line is that if the bridge is blocked, we can’t get out – what we need is another bridge,” Mr Townend said.
When asked again about the data after the meeting, Mr Babister said inputs had come from the Bureau of Meteorology as well as locally, and the model’s effectiveness had been tested by the University of Adelaide and also the Office of Environment and Heritage.
“Some 12 years ago we did a detailed study of rainfalls in the Nambucca and Bellinger Valley systems … I feel that although some data is still limited, we have made the best possible estimates and I am confident in the modelling.”
Mrs Pavey said the evidence did not support a newer, higher bridge but there were some who simply would not accept that.
“I understand the frustration – they see other places getting multi million dollar bridges and wonder why they can’t also have one … but it does not work like that,” Mrs Pavey said.
“It depends on access … there are a lot of challenges, but really we are making headway and we have got a lot more done now that ever before.”
But the doubts remain.
Rosewood Rd resident Ray Salmon shared this video of Warrell Creek in minor flood last March. It was taken about 200m north of Browns Crossing Road, panning to the Upper Warrell Creek (existing highway) bridge at Cockburns Lane near the sawmill and shows clearly the issues raised about velocities:
And this video by Tony Jarrett is of the flood in June 2016. It was taken a month before the filling of the flood plain began – it is looking down towards Browns Crossing Bridge from the highway.
This high flow area is now filled.