Echuca Moama Torrumbarry Flood Study Project

Commenced in 2018, the flood study project is a joint project between Campaspe Shire and Murray River councils, in conjunction with the Victorian North Central Catchment Management Authority, Department of Environment Energy and Climate Action, and NSW Department of Planning and Environment.

The project comprises three components:

Echuca Moama Flood Study
This report is the first part of the Echuca Moama Torrumbarry Flood Study and Risk Management Plan Project. It has been prepared to better understand and define flood behaviour of the Murray, Campaspe and Goulburn river systems and their impact on the Echuca-Moama area.

It is complete and was adopted by Campaspe Shire Council in March 2024 and Murray River Council in April 2024. It will be an important guide to ensure safe and sustainable development across the two towns. 

The report consists of detailed modelling and mapping that reproduces the flooding associated with the 1993, 2011, 2016 and 2022 flood events. It also details information under existing conditions of flood levels, velocities, flows, and risk for the standard set of ‘design’ flood events ranging from a 20% to a 0.2% annual exceedance probability (AEP) event, which refers to the probability of a particular flood being equalled to or exceeded in any one year.

Torrumbarry Flood Study

This component is currently being finalised and investigates flooding downstream of Echuca-Moama to Torrumbarry to better understand flood behaviour of this predominantly rural area. Improved knowledge of the existing Torrumbarry levee bank system is sought to determine their importance in protecting farmlands and the townships of Gunbower and further afield including Cohuna. The outputs of the upstream Echuca-Moama study were required before this part of the project could be completed. Priority has been to complete the Echuca and Moama Risk Management Plans while further survey information is sourced to enable completion of the Torrumbarry report. The draft report is scheduled for completion by June 2025.

Echuca and Moama Flood Risk Management Plans
Commenced in January 2024, this component is investigating flood mitigation options, flood warning systems and information to assist in managing flooding. Potential mitigation options identified by the engineers and the wider community are all being assessed in terms of benefits from reduced flood damage, costs of implementation and adverse impacts on others from redirected flood flows.

Some of the options under investigation include:

• Protection for properties on the east and west sides of the Campaspe River
• Improved protection for Echuca East including the Pakenham Street/Moama Street area that was heavily impacted in 2022
• Protection of properties along the breakout depression near Tindarra Resort that crosses Perricoota Road
• Increased security for the Moama town levee.

A preliminary assessment presented to the Community Reference Committee highlighted some additional areas for investigation and the importance curtailing inflows from the town drainage systems. All options have now been modelled showing the overall impact on flood levels and presented to the Committee. This mapping may be viewed via the link below.  Further consultation with the Community Reference Committee occurred later in July 2024 where the draft benefit /cost calculations for all options were presented. The benefit cost calculations weigh up the capital cost of those works versus the longer term benefits of reduced flood damage.

The draft report is scheduled for release in March 2025 for community review. 

Mapping

You can view the associated mapping via the links below.

View the mapping

Click here(PDF, 139KB) for interactive mapping instructions.

Report

Read the Echuca Moama Flood Study report(PDF, 32MB)

Click here for Report Appendix E - Maps 1 - 120 (PDF, 28MB)

Preliminary Proposed Levee Location Maps

Click below to view maps showing the preliminary proposed levee locations and associated impacts on water levels. The draft Echuca and Moama Risk Management Plans will provide the general location of all proposed levees and are scheduled to be available to view in April 2025.

Mitigation-Measures-Echuca-East.pdf(PDF, 7MB)

Mitigation-Measures-Echuca-West.pdf(PDF, 9MB)

Mitigation-Measures-Moama.pdf(PDF, 8MB)

The detail of that infrastructure including precise locations and types will be investigated as part of the next stage involving functional design of mitigation works recommended in the Flood Study Risk Management Plan report. Functional design will commence with the Echuca East levee system in March 2025.

The draft Echuca Flood Risk Management Plan follows on from the Echuca Moama Flood Study adopted by Council in February 2024, which documents the behaviour of the Murray, Goulburn and Campaspe Rivers’ floodplain around Echuca and Moama.

The Echuca Flood Risk Management Plan investigates proposed levees around Echuca including their impacts on others. It offers recommendations for a set of levee banks and provides an approximate benefit versus cost assessment of each.

The report also provides recommendations regarding development controls and improvements to the flood warning system operated by the Bureau of Meteorology. It includes flood information to assist emergency services authorities to better respond to flooding.

It does not specify the precise levee routes nor materials of construction, which will be determined during the functional design stage which will follow as a separate project.

The draft Echuca Flood Risk Management Plan is now open for exhibition and to seek submissions from the community before Council considers its adoption about mid-2025. It will be available for comment through to 20 April 2025. All comments received will be assessed and the issues summarised into a final report, together with Council’s response which may include changes to aspects of the report.

 Copies of the report are available in the following formats and locations:

• Hard copies are at Echuca Library, along with submission forms;
• Downloadable copies are available here(PDF, 11MB).

Submissions may be filled and out lodged on-line via this link, or emailed to [email protected] clearly marked "Echuca Flood Risk Management Plan".

Further nominations are being sought for a Community Reference Committee for the Echuca East Levee Functional Design project.

The committee already has good representation from property owners whose properties are adjacent to the proposed levee route but would like more people from the wider flood-prone area of Echuca East to be involved.

You can fill out and submit a Community Reference Committee Nomination form online. Or, you can click the link to download a Community Reference Committee Nomination Form(DOCX, 214KB). Nominations must be lodged by 31 March. To lodge a downloaded form, drop it in to Campaspe Shire Council, corner of Hare and Heygarth Streets, Echuca; or mail it to PO Box 35, Echuca 3564; or email it to [email protected] clearly marked ‘Nomination Echuca East Levee Design’.

Background information for the Echuca East Levee Functional Design project

Investigations undertaken in preparing the Echuca Flood Risk Management Plan identified Echuca East as one of the highest priority areas as it is presently unprotected by a reliable and continuous system of levees, and suffered the worst flooding within the Echuca township in the 2022 flood event.

Council has engaged surveyors and engineers to develop a functional design for a barrier to protect Echuca East. In general terms, investigations have shown it needs to stretch from the old Echuca Moama bridge along Anstruther St to Hovell St, along the existing substandard levee to Pakenham St then east to Moama St and south along Moama St to Snowden St.

Determining its precise route, materials of construction and cost estimates are the key aspects to be decided in consultation with the benefitting and other directly affected property owners and managers. The Community Reference Committee will be closely involved in that process, providing local community input. Routes to be investigated include the practicality of protecting residential properties north of Anstruther and Pakenham Streets and between Moama St and the Deakin Main Drain north of Goulburn Rd.

As part of these investigations, Council’s surveyors will be surveying the land along this general route including the full width of Anstruther, Pakenham and Moama Streets, the existing levees and into the Crown Land adjoining these streets or adjoining the houses that back onto it. If your property adjoins this general route, Council is seeking your assistance in permitting the surveyors to also survey your driveways, garage or carport entry floor level and your house’s floor level at the front step to make sure all relevant factors are considered in the functional design process. The surveyors will not need to enter any buildings when measuring floor levels and are expected to be on site during March 2025.