Oura man calls for new levee bank from Eunony Bridge west

Oura resident Leigh Campbell believes building a levee bank from Eunony Bridge west will divide the floodwater into two streams. 

He claims floodwater flows down the main river channel will be far less if half of it is sectioned off at the bridge and channelled through the alternate route, which he calls the northern bypass channel. 

“The benefits of this are that the existing North Wagga levees should stop that suburb from being inundated, the existing levees surround the main city area need not be raised and the flooding common around the Marshalls Creek area should not occur,” he said. “A levee bank protecting Gumly will help push water toward the northern bypass channel.”

Mr Campbell, whose Oura business and Tarcutta property have both flooded over the years, conceded some properties along the length of the northern channel would be affected by his proposal, but “not significantly”. 

Mr Campbell said earth used to build the new levee could be taken from the proposed North Wagga lake site. 

Council recently received a $2 million grant jointly funded by the federal and state government to upgrade the levee. It now awaits approval for a special rate variation (SRV) to raise its one-third share of the cost, or $7.75m, currently being considered by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.

“I really think you can protect North Wagga and Wagga without spending $20 million, which to me, is totally dead money,” Mr Campbell said. 

But mayor Rod Kendall, a qualified engineer, questioned Mr Campbell’s suggestion.

“Obviously people have suggested the overall effect by improving flows on the floodplain, but with the work we’ve done to date, it certainly indicates the need to increase the height of the levee bank,” Cr Kendall said.

Cr Kendall expected a decision on the SRV to be delivered by May.