Carnarvon community calls for assessment of levees in Gascoyne River after cyclone Narelle flooding

Flood levees installed in the Gascoyne River have come under scrutiny in the wake of flooding on surrounding properties caused by tropical cyclone Narelle.

The Gascoyne River flood levees were constructed in 2015 to reduce the impact of flooding events, such as the December 2010 floods, which saw water levels reach 15.53m at Fishy Pool.

After flooding in 2021, the impact of the levees was assessed in a report that found they largely met expectations. Those water levels peaked at 7.11m at the Nine Mile Bridge gauge on February 6, 2021.

The survey proposed further assessment.

Local farmers have called for the levees to be assessed again after the Gascoyne River reached a peak of 6.11 metres at Nine Mile Bridge on March 30.

A State Government spokesperson said they were assessing the impact of the flooding caused by cyclone Narelle on surrounding crops and are assisting landholders with recovery efforts.

“Flooding of the Gascoyne River floodplain is a periodic natural event that can impact growers’ properties situated on the floodplain,” the spokesperson said.

Liberal MLC and Carnarvon resident Neil Thomson said the community was “concerned” about the river management.

“This flood event seems to have affected those north-westerly properties the most. And we went out there, we saw some of the impacts on the vegetable growers,” he said.

“They’re saying, even though (the water level) was only just over 6m, they’ve had much bigger flood events before and never had water on their property. So clearly, the river beds changed, and there needs to be this ongoing management of it.”

The State Government spokesperson stood by the levees but agreed that some north-westerly properties had been adversely impacted.

“The Carnarvon levees performed generally as modelling suggested, however, there was localised flooding in the north-west where growers’ properties adjoin floodways,” the spokesperson said.

“The Carnarvon flood plain management working group has been working with the community to assess options to mitigate the impacts of flooding.”

The levees have been criticised by some growers in the area, who say they’ve caused increased flooding to some surrounding properties.

The most recent assessment took place after the August 2021 flood, when minor repairs were done on the levees.

Last year the State Government released the Gascoyne River flood study to evaluate potential mitigation strategies.

“The State Government will examine the impacts of the latest flooding event on Carnarvon’s horticulture producers to help bolster flood preparedness and resilience,” the State Government spokesperson said.