The first stage in managing flooding risk for a particular catchment involves a flood study, which is a comprehensive technical investigation of flood behaviour for that catchment. A flood study will show the distribution, extent, levels and velocity of floodwaters across sections of the floodplain for a range of different flood events.

The study will generate detailed flood intelligence utilising advanced flood mapping techniques. The study will also be used to improve future land use planning informing development decisions to minimise the risks of flooding to the Clunes community.

The study will also assist Council in understanding existing drainage problems and inform new infrastructure to be planned to mitigate flood risks.

The study assists Hepburn Shire Council, North Central CMA (NCCMA) and Victorian State Emergency Service (VicSES) prepare for and respond to a flood emergency in Clunes.

The study is co-funded through the Victorian Government’s Regional Flood Risk Reduction Grant Program and Council.’ And start the second sentence with ‘The Victorian Government program. The Victorian Government is funding the flood study as part of the Regional Flood Risk Reduction Grant Program. The program aims to support local flood mitigation projects across Victoria, enhancing community resilience and infrastructure protection. The initiative aims at addressing impacts of climate change, protecting existing infrastructure and expanding community knowledge about potential disaster risks.

Hepburn Shire Council are project managing the flood study with support from NCCMA.

The study is being prepared by expert consultants Water Technology, who will work closely with Council, NCCMA, key stakeholders and the community.

In addition to this, a Project Control Group will be established that brings a broad range of stakeholders, knowledge and experts into the project. Representatives from Victorian State Emergency Service (VIC SES), Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Council officers from Strategic Planning, Development Engineering, Roads and Drainage Engineering and Emergency Management teams may be included in the group’s members.

The Clunes Flood Mitigation Study is a short to medium-term project, which includes the following stages:

- Model development and calibration to replicate past flood events

- Preliminary assessment of frequency and severity of flood events and the impacts of climate change

- Investigation of options to manage flooding

- Development of high-level flood protection and preparedness activities based on the results of the Flood Study and Floodplain Risk Management Plan

There is existing flood mapping generated from the 2013 Clunes Flood Mitigation and Urban Drainage Plan; however, since 2013, there have been numerous changes to the town as well as the flood modelling guidelines, including: increased stormwater issues, residential growth, updated modelling techniques, climate change consideration and changes to land use and township expansion.

Subsequently, an updated flood study and floodplain risk management plan will improve flood forecasting and highlight the vulnerability of the local community, reflective of current catchment and township characteristics.

The Clunes Flood Study results will inform the development of future flood-related planning tools, which may include a planning scheme amendment. If specific properties are identified as likely to be affected by flooding in the future, those properties may be impacted by new flood-related planning controls. Any proposed flood related planning controls will guide current and future property owners and developers to consider flood risk while developing properties, which may include the need for planning permits.

The FO is a planning tool applied to land that's identified as carrying high energy flood flows associated with waterways and open drainage systems and high hazard areas. This overlay requires a planning permit for buildings and works.

The LSIO is a planning tool applied to land designated as being subject to inundation in the event of a 1% AEP flood. It triggers development proposals which require planning approval to be designed in a manner compatible with the flood risk to the site.

During severe storms in urban areas land can be affected by overland flows if the rainfall run-off exceeds the design capacity of the existing drainage system. This is called stormwater flooding and can occur in areas where there is a high density of existing development, and a high potential for flood damage. The Special Building Overlay (SBO) identifies areas affected by stormwater flooding in planning schemes to ensure new development is designed accordingly.

Property values are determined by many different factors including economic conditions, public economic policies, location, streetscape and amenity. It is difficult to assign what effect the identification of land as flood prone may have on the value of a property, with the property market determining the value of any residential property. Individual owners should seek their own valuation advice if they are concerned that flood classification may influence their property value.

The insurance industry has developed its own database of flood risk Australia wide for individual properties, which has regard for both depth of flooding and frequency of flooding. If you are concerned that a premium is excessive, you may ask for a review by your insurance company or you may consider alternative quotes from other insurance providers.

There are several opportunities for the community to get involved:

- Data Review: Over two sessions, we will introduce the project, seek historical data and take input from the community. Hardcopy and online maps will be available to help discussion. At this stage we are seeking community input and want to hear from you about your experiences with flooding in the Clunes area and any feedback of the previously proposed mitigation options in the 2013 study.

- Completion of flood mapping and early consideration of potential mitigation options: In this meeting we will share the results of the flood mapping and discuss potential options for mitigation. We are open to hearing community ideas for improvements to flood risk management in the region as well as structural mitigation works to reduce flood risk for Clunes.

- Completion of mitigation option modelling: In this meeting we will share the results of the mitigation modelling mapping and seek feedback/support for the modelled mitigation options. We are open to hearing community feedback.

We are keen to hear your knowledge and recollections, and we encourage you to share any photos, recordings or materials that will help us understand the locations, dates, times and depths of previous flood events.

If you are sharing photos, please let us know when and where the photos were taken, and use landmarks, or building measurements to describe the depths if possible.

For example:

We will also ask for your contact details in case we need to investigate further.

If you would like to discuss this further, please contact the Project Manager at Hepburn Shire Council at 03 4373 7317.