Draft Redbank Creek Flood Study

As part of the Council’s floodplain management program, Hawkesbury City Council is committed to finding solutions to reduce the risk to life and the social and economic damages of flooding.

As outlined in numerous NSW Government and Insurance Council of Australia strategies and documents, the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley has one of the most significant flood risk exposures within Australia. The risks to both property and people resulting from flooding from the Hawkesbury River has been more recently highlighted by the flood events of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024.

Council applied for and received a grant through the NSW Governments’ Floodplain Management Program to undertake a flood study of Redbank Creek to provide an understanding of the full range of flood behaviour and consequences in the Catchment, and to inform future floodplain management actions to reduce flood impacts on the community.

With the completion of this investigation, and the finalisation of the draft Redbank Creek Flood Study, Council is inviting the community and other stakeholders to comment on the draft Flood Study.

A public meeting is being held to answer questions in relation to the draft Flood Study:

Date: Wednesday 11 December 2024

Time: 6:00pm to 7:30pm,

Location: North Richmond Community Centre, 33 William Street, North Richmond.

Please email council@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au or call (02) 4560 4564 to register your interest in attending the public meeting.

The draft Flood Study has investigated both:

• Local overland flooding; and
• Mainstream flooding due to:
  • Flooding from Redbank Creek; and
  • Flooding and backwater effects from the Hawkesbury River spreading into the Redbank Creek Catchment.

The draft Redbank Creek Flood Study has been undertaken in accordance with the relevant legislation, guidelines and best practice, and has:

• Determined the nature of flooding in the catchment, including flood frequency, extent, depth, velocity, hazards and flood function.
• Identified that flow within the North Richmond township primarily follows Redbank Creek and the main drainage channel through the township during most events
• Assessed the effects of flooding on key infrastructure assets, including emergency organisations and facilities (State Emergency Services etc), and vulnerable uses such as hospitals, schools, aged care and childcare centres
• Assessed the frequency and hazard of road inundation, which can be used in understanding evacuation risks and the identification of flood emergency response classifications
• Calculated flood damages to estimate the tangible damages sustained every year (on average), over a long period of time
• Investigated several climate change scenario projections for 2040, 2090, and 2100, which indicate substantial increases in rainfall intensity, which could exacerbate flood conditions.

The draft Redbank Creek Flood Study and other supporting documentation is on public exhibition for the period Monday 2 December 2024 to Thursday 30 January 2025.

The draft Study and other supporting documentation can be viewed during the exhibition period on Council’s online community engagement site www.yourhawkesbury-yoursay.com.au, or between 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday at Council’s Administration Office, 366 George Street, Windsor.

Written submissions in relation to the draft Study can be posted to Hawkesbury City Council, PO Box 146, WINDSOR NSW 2756 or emailed to council@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au.

The last day for the receipt of submissions is Thursday 30 January 2025.

Should you lodge a submission, it will be considered, along with any other submissions received and may be included in Council’s meeting business paper. Your submission, including any personal information, is accessible by any person upon written application, subject to Council’s Privacy Management Plan and the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. The inclusion of personal information in your submission is voluntary. The information will ultimately be stored in Council’s records system.

The inclusion of personal information with your submission is voluntary. However, if not provided Council will not be able to contact you about the draft study. The information will be stored in Council's electronic records system and paper files. For your protection, Council recommends that you do not include defamatory comments in your submission.

Submissions are balanced with Council’s statutory obligations, the rights of the proponent and the public interest. Council must consider any submissions made before it decides whether to adopt the study.