North Wagga flood levee peer review expected to be released to council

Council agreed a year ago to the third-party "peer review" of an independent flood risk management plan, after community pressure from North Wagga residents who want a levee to protect their suburb from one-in-100 year floods.

A council spokesman has now said the report is imminent and that will be presented to a council workshop before a copy is provided to a Flood Risk Management Advisory Committee (FRMAC) meeting in early July.

Rather than a one-in-100-year levee for North Wagga, the under-review 2018 Floodplain Risk Management Plan instead recommended further investigation of a one-in-20-year flood levee and voluntary house raising and purchasing as possible alternatives.

Mayor Greg Conkey said he hadn't made up his mind on the "best way forward" but would be guided by the results of the peer review.

"Councillors have supported the requests from the North Wagga Residents Association in getting the best outcome for not only North Wagga but also the floodplain residents upstream from North Wagga, as well as the impact that extra levee protection [would have] on the East Wagga industrial area," he said.

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The levee issue has been controversial among North Wagga residents since the last catastrophic floods in 2012, because the rest of the city is afforded higher flood protection than the village.

The $23 million one-in-100 year flood levee for central Wagga was completed in March last year.

Council was considering raising the height of the levee on the northern side of the Murrumbidgee River to provide protection against a one-in-20-year flood, but all works have been put on-hold during the peer review process.

"The North Wagga Residents Association said pending that review they wanted us to stop all progress on a levee for North Wagga which again was unanimously agreed to by councillors," Cr Conkey said.

Council decided to delay public consultation process in relation to flood mitigation options in North Wagga pending the outcome of the peer review of the 2018 plan, following a campaign by the North Wagga Residents Association.

Council said at the time the review would look at the the risk assessment strategy and consultation processes for all flood mitigation options proposed for North Wagga.