The Villages of Crookwell, Gunning, Collector and Taralga Floodplain Risk Management Study and Draft Plan report

Upper Lachlan Shire Council (Council) commissioned the Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan for the villages of Crookwell, Gunning, Collector and Taralga. The overall objectives of the Floodplain Risk Management Study (FRMS) were to assess the impacts of flooding, review existing Council policies as they relate to development of land in flood liable areas, consider options for the management of flood affected land and to develop a draft Floodplain Risk Management Plan (FRMP) which:

i) Proposes modifications to existing Council policies to ensure that the development of flood affected land is undertaken so as to be compatible with the flood hazard and risk. ii) Proposes Flood Planning Levels for the various land uses in the floodplain. iii) Sets out the recommended program of works and measures aimed at reducing over time, the social, environmental and economic impacts of flooding. iv) Provides a program for implementation of the proposed works and measures.

The FRMS focusses on Main Stream Flooding (MSF) from the Crookwell River and Kiamma Creek at Crookwell, Meadow Creek at Gunning, Collector Creek at Collector and Corroboree Creek at Taralga; Minor Tributary Flooding (MTF) caused by high flows in the minor un-named tributaries which drain to the aforementioned watercourses, and Major Overland Flow (MOF) areas which occur in the developed parts of the four villages.1 Flooding problems on the MOF paths arise from surcharges of the trunk drainage systems, which comprise a mix of natural depressions, pipes, culverts and open drains.

The solutions of problems resulting from surcharges of minor drainage lines in streets or in individual allotments remote from the MOF paths are matters for stormwater management by Council and are outside the scope of the present investigation.