Rodney Stevens

Clarence Valley Council has deferred adopting the updated 2022 Lower Clarence Flood Model to allow further consideration and for a workshop on the model to be held for councillors.

At the May 23 Clarence Valley Council CVC meeting, councillors were tasked with voting to adopt the revised Lower Clarence Flood Model Update 2022, prepared by consultants BMT.

Currently council relies on a Lower Clarence Flood Model last updated in 2013.

Councillors only received the updated flood model five days before the council meeting, which saw members of the Yamba Community Action Network Yamba Can Inc and Valley Watch call for the matter to be deferred to allow more time to digest the contents of the 99-page document.

Cr Karen Toms put forward a foreshadowed motion, which was seconded by Cr Debrah Novak that council:

1. engage an independent flooding consultant to undertake a high-level review and validation of the 2022 Flood Study update modelling methodology.
2. subject to concurrence from DPE that the high-level review (and validation) has not significantly altered the 2022 Flood Study update, adopt a final report addressing any comments received from DPE and the peer review and place the final report on Council’s website.
3. endorse the revised flood model Climate Change 1 (RCP 4.5) as the basis for establishing flood planning levels (residential floor levels) in accordance with Council’s existing floor heights policy (with the exception of North Grafton for the time being).
4. note the extreme flood level requires further validation using a hydrologic assessment of the Probable Maximum Flood.
5. prepare a planning proposal to amend the Clarence Valley Local Environmental Plan 2011 to replace the existing flood mapping with the revised flood mapping for Climate Change 1 (RCP 4.5) scenario, as contained in the Lower Clarence Flood Model Update 2022.
6. commence preparation of a Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan in accordance with the NSW Floodplain Development Manual on receipt of the Final Flood Study report (as per dot point 2) noting that the process will also determine flood planning levels in North Grafton and the extreme flood/probable maximum flood.

Cr Toms said she received several emails urging the deferral of adopting the flood model to give councillors more time and to understand the implications of the new model.

She said seven of the nine councillors attended a presentation by the consultant on the flood model which was very informative.

“It seems to me as though they (people) don’t trust this study and they are putting a lot of pressure on councillors if they believe that we are the ones who need to read the study and come to the conclusions of what the implications are,” she said.

“It’s way above my pay grade to make decisions like that and I would like it to be peer reviewed.

“As a councillor, why defer it for a month, we need to get moving with our new flood levels.”

Cr Tiley then foreshadowed the officer’s recommendation to adopt the model, before Cr Peter Johnstone foreshadowed a motion deferring the decision for a month.

Cr Johnstone said he was unable to vote for either Cr Tom’s or Cr Tiley’s motions because he needed more time to consider the 99-page report on the flood model.

Cr Debrah Novak said the new model was very important moving forward and there was no reason it should be held back.

Cr Greg Clancy said CVC had been waiting for the new model for many years and there was no need to rush adopting it, as he wanted to see council get it right.

After councillors voted five to four against Cr Toms motion, Cr Johnstone’s motion to defer the matter for a month to allow the report to be digested by councillors and a workshop to be held prior to the July meeting was passed five votes to four, with Cr’s Clancy, Day, Johnstone, Smith and Tiley in support.