In 2020 Dams Safety NSW (DSNSW) proposed a change to the Dams Safety Regulation 2019 which would require owners of declared dams to pay a levy to meet costs of administering the Dams Safety Act 2015. 

In 2024 the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) was commissioned to recommend a methodology for the levy, emphasising the financial sustainability and efficiency of DSNSW.

FMA wrote to NSW Ministers in 2020 advising that the imposition of the proposed Dam Safety Levee on flood mitigation basins would place an unreasonable financial burden on Local Government Councils, and discourage further investment in mitigation works intended to improve the safety of NSW communities.

FMA also provided a submission to the IPART review in April 2024, pointing out the adverse implications of the proposed levee on flood mitigation infrastructure.

IPART has now published its report which recommends that the levy recover $4.34 million in costs for DSNSW from declared dam owners annually. The levy ranges between $7,639 and $15,264 per dam depending on its consequence rating.

The impact of a levy on management costs of flood mitigation dams is acknowledged in the report, however IPART states "There is an argument that if flood mitigation efforts are too expensive they should be subsidised for the community's benefit. However, we consider that this should be done explicitly through a government subsidy, rather than implicitly through a rebate to offset the efficient costs of dam safety regulation."

The IPART report is available at: https://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/documents/draft-report/draft-report-dams-safety-nsw-levy-review-july-2024?timeline_id=16770

An online Public Hearing will be held on 5 August, and submissions on the draft findings close on 19 August.

The report of the Victorian Legislative Council Planning and Environment Committee Inquiry into the 2022 flood event has been presented to Parliament. The Inquiry was conducted over 18 months and received 880 submissions.

Flooding in October 2022 impacted 81% of local government areas across Victoria, particularly in Northern Victoria and the Maribyrnong River catchment area. Deloitte Access Economics estimates that the flood caused $432 million in damages.

The report concluded there needs to be “a more integrated, community centred and accessible approach to emergency management, from planning through to recovery”.

The report makes 90 findings and 73 recommendations, including improvements to flood governance arrangements, and boosting resources for emergency services responding to events such as floods. 

The report also makes recommendations to improve flood mitigation, such as a pilot ring levee program, raising or retrofitting homes and improving flood modelling.

The Government has six months to respond to the report.

Read more at: https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/floodinquiry

Grahamstown Dam Image: Hunter Water

The capacity of Hunter Water’s Grahamstown Dam will be reduced to 90 per cent following a study that found the dam's walls could break in an earthquake.

The dam was constructed between 1956 and 1965, and is an off-river storage source for water extracted from the Williams River. It is the Hunter region’s largest drinking water supply dam. 

In June Hunter Water completed a comprehensive risk assessment to understand in more detail the risks associated with the major and rare events that may affect the dam. 

The risk assessment found:

The dam continues to operate safely under normal and flood conditions.

There is a risk that the dam’s Main Embankment could be damaged by an earthquake. In the worst-case scenario, this could lead to the uncontrolled release of water into lower-lying areas, presenting a risk to people and property. The likelihood of this occurring is calculated to be 1-in-3,500, or a 0.03% chance in any single year.

In response to these findings Hunter Water has advised that the water level in the dam will be lowered to around 90% capacity, to reduce the amount of water that could flow to lower-lying properties if an earthquake were to damage the dam. This reduced water level will be maintained until more significant engineering upgrades can be completed.

Hunter Water is working with the NSW State Emergency Service and other emergency response organisations to review the existing Dam Safety Emergency Plan for Grahamstown Dam to incorporate the latest risk information, and specialist dam engineers are exploring options to upgrade the embankments to permanently address earthquake related risks.

For more information see: Grahamstown Dam Risk Assessment

We have two great Workshops for you!

The Workshops after the next Brisbane and Sydney Quarterly Meetings will discuss in depth the updated Climate Change Considerations Chapter of Australian Rainfall and Runoff: A Guide to Flood Estimation (ARR) (https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/draft-updates-to-the-climate-change-considerations-chapter-in-arrg).

Dr Conrad Wasko, the lead of the Technical Working Group Update for the Climate Change Considerations Chapter, will present his research; Mark Babister, ARR Management Subcommittee member will discuss examples of application of the guideline; and an expert panel will participate in Q & A sessions.

Registration for in-person attendance is essential as spaces are limited, online participation will also be available. 

The registration links, Agendas, Business Papers and Workshop details for the 7 August Quarterly Meeting in Brisbane, and the 15 August Quarterly Meeting in Sydney are available at the FMA website: floods.asn.au/meetings.

August sees the return of the FMA-NSW Government Floodplain Risk Management Short Course for 2024.

This course is conducted by the University of Technology, Sydney and is taught by industry professionals, including flood risk and emergency response management and land use planning experts from NSW Government, local government and consultancies. 

The course uses lectures and interactive tutorials to show how the development and implementation of plans to manage flood risk can reduce the impacts of flooding on the community and the built environment. 

The Short Course will be offered in the following blocks:

Introduction to Floodplain Risk Management - 8 August 2024

Effective Consideration of Flood Risk in Land Use Planning - 5 September 2024

Managing Flood Risk to Existing Properties - 10 October 2024

Mode: Online

Cost: $550 per block

For more information on each block and online registration, please visit the above links.

The University of New England is undertaking a research survey to investigate how land use planners in Australia acquire and use natural hazards skills and knowledge in planning practice.

UNE is seeking anyone who currently or has previously worked as a land use planner or associated role in any sector in Australia. It is not necessary to have a formal planning qualification to participate.

You can participate in the research by completing the survey here:

https://unesurveys.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9QE6dvuNYZ29v4W

It should take about 15 minutes to complete and your answers are anonymous.

This project has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of New England (Approval No HE24-096, valid to 31/01/2025).

The project is part of the Masters degree being undertaken by Roland van Amstel, in the Department of Geography and Planning at UNE, supervised by Associate Professor Melissa Parsons. For further information please contact Melissa Parsons (melissa.parsons@une.edu.au or (02) 6773 3527).

The FMA Young Floodplain Managers (YFM) network exists to represent, engage, and inspire young floodplain management professionals across Australia. 

Whilst the YFM's mission is to represent, engage, support and inspire young floodplain management professionals across the nation, anyone who supports this objective is welcome to apply for membership of the YFM and engage in the group's actions, irrespective of their age or level of experience. 

Are you interested in finding out more? You can connect with the YFM by visiting the YFM Linkedin page here or submit a YFM Membership application at floods.asn.au/yfm.

Did you know YFM Webinars and Online Panel recordings can be found in the Members' Section of floods.asn.au? If you haven’t registered for the Members’ Section, contact us to get your login details.