More than 3 months ago, Esakoff requested a report on the February 4th deluge that devastated many homes in McKinnon and Ormond. The report demanded information on (amongst other things): how well council had coped; drainage management programs; council’s plans to reduce flooding. We are still waiting!!!! Sadly, residents are also waiting simply to get back into their homes. Below is today’s Moorabbin Leader story by Jessica Bennett –
ORMOND and McKinnon residents left homeless after February’s flash floods are a step closer to closure. A meeting was held recently with Bentleigh s t a t e Liberal MP Elizabeth Miller, Glen Eira Council and Melbourne Water to resolve issues from the flooding and develop a flood-management plan.
Resident Tim Harkin, who was due to move into his home the day after more than 100m of rain hit the area, said the meeting was ‘‘constructive’’. ‘‘They’ve come up with a plan to help things in the short term as well as to fix things long-term,’’ he said. ‘‘The residents who attended the meeting were happy with the outcome and we hope to see it followed through.’’ Mr Harkin said the area was still recovering, with many residents still unable to move back into their damaged homes. ‘‘It’s about four months down the track and we’re still three months from moving in,’’ he said. ‘‘A lot are still out of their homes and as of two weeks ago, a few were still waiting to be assessed by insurance companies.’’
Glen Eira Council spokesman Paul Burke said Melbourne Water confirmed the intensity of the rainfall had been ‘‘extremely severe’’ and that no urban drainage system could have coped. He said Melbourne Water planned to replace the grated pit over the drain at the corner of Cadby Ave and Murray St that blocked during the flooding.
He said the council and Melbourne Water would work to develop a flood-management plan and identify flooding hotspots in Glen Eira.
Ms Miller said she had called the meeting as residents were still feeling the effects of the floods. ‘‘These floods exposed the need to improve the maintenance and clearing of stormwater drains and the need for Melbourne Water and Glen Eira Council, two of the relevant authorities, to work on this issue,’’ she said.
PS: We’ve just received the following email and photo – “Maybe the attached photo would be of interest. It shows water rapidly filling up the basement carpark of a property in the Carnegie Urban Village, an area where Council has granted permits for 100% site coverage, despite what its Planning Scheme says about drainage and permeability.”
Glen Eira Debates 
June 1, 2011 at 9:56 AM
My god!!! “develop a flood management plan”. You’ve got to be joking. What the hell have these bastards been doing for the past 10 years. They’ve known about flooding risk all this time and only now there’s talk about developing a plan? They should be sued to the hilt for such neglect.
June 1, 2011 at 11:22 AM
Agreed Aleck. I would have thought that such management plans would already exist and would be reviewed annually and updated accordingly. It’s also unacceptable that there has now been a lull of 3 months waiting for Waite and his staff to get a report out on what actually happened and why. This isn’t some minor little episode. It’s impacted significantly on many residents and we can expect more of the same and probably worse with all the development that’s going on everywhere and climate change. Newton again has to answer why council resolutions take months and months to be reported back on. His job is to provide “timely advice”. Three months and still no report is definitely not “timely”. Come on councillors. Demand that this issue is opened up and that the real facts get known. Cover ups and excuses that it’s all Melbourne Water’s fault simply don’t wash anymore.
June 1, 2011 at 9:57 PM
Within the last decade thousands of Glen Eira properties were informed that in the event of a 100 year flood there property could be flooded. They were also informed that should the property be redeveloped then adjustments would be required to building heights. It is well known that MMBW DRAINS ARE INADEQUATE.This is a well known fact beyond Glen Eira’s controll and yet some ill informed fools just use this situation to take cheap shots. As for the photo it proves nothing.
June 1, 2011 at 11:39 PM
MMBW changed its name to Melbourne Water in 1992, and not longer after was split into 3 retail water businesses to be flogged off, leaving a rump organisation minus a significant chunk of hydrology expertise to focus on the wholesale business of water, sewerage and drainage.
Curiously, MMBW also used to do a significant amount of town planning as well as provide and maintain many parks. It did fall foul of the governments of the day, which I consider to be a tribute to that organisation. Much more of its history, and its many accomplishments, can be found in “Vital Connections: Melbourne and its Board of Works 1891-1991” by Tony Dingle & Carolyn Rasmussen.
June 1, 2011 at 10:05 PM
Perhaps it is more important to rectify the situation and assist the residents rather than issue a report at this time.The meeting mentioned in the blog clearly demonstrates ongoing action.
June 1, 2011 at 11:08 PM
I’m beginning to wonder if Paul Burke has ever read his Council’s Planning Scheme. Council knows it has drainage problems, and has known since the early days of the current accursed Planning Scheme. The Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS) for example describes the drainage infrastructure as aging and inadequate. Council’s Development Contributions Plan (1998) called for development contributions to be made to fund drainage improvements. A DCP Overlay was subsequently introduced into GEPS. It has been allowed to lapse, not having covered even its costs of administration.
A Special Building Overlay (SBO) was also introduced. Hidden away amongst Urban Villages policy is “Areas within the Special Building Overlay may have a limited capacity for higher density development as they may be liable to inundation from overland flows from the urban drainage system.” It does make you wonder what should happen to all other areas that are liable to inundation from overland flows.
Then there’s Standard B4 within 55.02-4 Infrastructure Objectives, whereby the responsible authority *must* consider the capacity of the existing infrastructure in assessing a planning application, and “if the drainage system has little or no spare capacity, the capacity of the development to provide for stormwater drainage mitigation or upgrading of the local drainage system”.
As if its still not clear, there’s 55.03-4 Permeability Objectives, which includes “To reduce the impact of increased stormwater run-off on the drainage system”. Hence Standard B9: “At least 20 per cent of the site should not be covered by impervious surfaces”.
Council has encouraged 100% site coverage in its Major Activity Centres, adding to the stress on its overburdened and aging infrastructure, since with 100% site coverage there’s no permeable surfaces to slow water entering the drainage system. It has also clearly failed to maintain its drains to avoid a situation where “obstructions and debris build up”.
I hope when the report eventually surfaces later this decade that it does indeed address all these failures.
June 2, 2011 at 12:47 AM
It would seem almost certain that council,insurance or the MW SHOULD BE PAYING HIGH COMPENSATION FOR THIS UNBELIEVABLE INCONVENIENCE OF THIS MODERN CENTURY!
a new by-law could makeit illegal to blow leaves and glass clippings onto the road and thus prevent a buildup of compost in the drainage system!
June 2, 2011 at 8:52 AM
As I mentioned before time and again. I wish contributors to this blog would be helpful in providing solutions and not just harping on the Council, Councillors and Officers. The draft Budget is now available for comment. I would encourage all readers to this blog to comment on it and provide solutions to identified problems. ‘flood advisor’, if you are really knowledgeable on that issue why not contribute to the Budget process in your area of expertise and share it with us all.