Council is calling on residents and business owners within the Ourimbah Creek catchment area to attend a public meeting where a floodplain risk management study and plan for the area will be discussed.

The meeting will take place tonight at 6.30pm at The University of Newcastle, Ourimbah Campus, Canteen Area.

The Ourimbah Creek Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan aims to build community resilience for flooding events and will include options such as flood mitigation works, emergency management plans, flood warning processes, land use planning, and sensible design of infrastructure and buildings.

Council Group Leader, Assets, Infrastructure and Business, Mr Mike Dowling, said residents could provide valuable information and feedback on flooding in the Ourimbah Creek catchment.

“The community has already provided vital input into the development of the floodplain risk management plan - at the meeting council will present information on work that has been carried out so far and provide feedback on ideas we have already received from residents since we started consulting in November 2015,” Mr Dowling said.

“We also need to ensure any new developments are compatible with flood hazards and don’t create any additional flooding problems in the area.”

Community feedback will be considered in the preparation draft of the management study and plan, which will be placed on public exhibition in April 2017.

This $150,000 project is a combined investment by Council and the NSW Government.

Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the project was a great collaboration between Council, the State Government and the community with the ultimate aim of helping to alleviate the effects of flooding in the Ourimbah Creek catchment area.

“We have experts right here in Council who are working hard on this plan and they will be on hand at the meeting to answer any resident questions and more importantly to seek feedback so we can continue towards finding the right solution to flooding issues in this area,” Mr Reynolds said.

The last significant flood in the Ourimbah Creek catchment took place in 2007 and the worst flood in living memory in the area took place in 1992.

The Ourimbah Creek catchment area includes the suburbs of  Berkeley Vale, Chittaway Bay, Chittaway Point, Fountaindale, Kangy Angy, Lisarow, Ourimbah, Palm Grove, Palmgrove and Tuggerah. The catchment also area includes smaller tributaries that flow into Ourimbah Creek including: Bangalow Creek, Canada Drop Down Creek, Chittaway Creek, Cut Rock Creek and Dog Trap Gully.

Residents in these areas should have received a letter from Council inviting them to the meeting and Council looks forward to seeing as many of them as possible attending.

Residents who are unable to attend the meeting can provide feedback when the plan goes on public exhibition in a few months.