Marshalls Creek Floodplain - COMMUNITY EDUCATION - LOCAL STORIES

3D mapping image 2004 - NSW Department of Finance, Services and Innovation - CLICK TO ENLARGE

COMMUNITY EDUCATION

To review the historical changes to the Marshalls Creek Floodplain and the potential impacts on flood flow please access information below.

Robert Crossley - Natural Resources Scientist
In association with OSCA Inc. & New Brighton Village Association

The document and the presentation by Robert Crossley is based on personal interpretation of the available aerial imagery since 1947, the stories of the local residents and the reports of scientific studies that have been produced in the past.

He does not profess to know all the answers, and is always open to be proven wrong by evidence. This document hopes to progress the conversation in improving the situation.

Note from Rob: Since doing this video, I have learned some more from feedback from others and reflecting on what has been said. However, let’s use this video as a starting point for discussions to build our understanding and discuss potential solutions that we can lobby for. If you wish to ask questions or to make comment on what I have said (good or bad), Mark has set up a Facebook page that we can continue to this conversation https://www.facebook.com/MarshallsCreekFloodplain/ .

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CASE STUDY COMPONENT 1
Billinudgel Local Story & Observations:
View the video talks about Billinudgel.
Where did the water flow, and what has changed?

Take Home Messages
View presentation pages in relevant spots: see Slides 02, 03, 04 left column.
1. Flood water used to flow through a swampy area to the south of the village, and discharged back into Marshalls Creek to the east.
2. Development of the industrial estate closed the natural flow path, and flood water was channelled through man made drains.
3. Billinudgel suffered its worst flood in 2017, when the drains were badly clogged with vegetation and rubbish.
4. Drains were cleared after 2017 and Billinudgel was the only place where the flood in 2022 was not much worse than in 2017.
5. Drains are not being regularly cleared.

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CASE STUDY COMPONENT 2
South Golden Beach Local Story & Observations:
View the video talks about South Golden Beach & New Brighton.
Where did the water flow, and what has changed?

Take Home Messages
View the presentation pages in relevant spots: see Slides 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 left column.
1. Historically, flood waters overflowed out of Marshalls Creek just to the east of the old highway and around the current location of Kolora Way into channels that discharged through an ocean outlet where Helen Street is now located.
2. Water from Billinudgel Nature Reserve also seemed to flow into the same outflow from the north.
3. This outflow was closed by developers prior to 1958.
4. Numerous attempts to limit the flooding in the South Golden Beach (SGB) development resulted in overflow water from Marshalls Creek ponding between SGB and New Brighton and then flowing back into New Brighton (NB) to flood the village:

a. Construction of Capricornia Canal to link the water from the north and Marshalls Creek.
b. Fill at Kolora Way.
c. Levees constructed around SGB and closed ocean outfalls between South Golden Beach now pond water between SGB and New Brighton until it gets high enough to flow back into Marshalls Creek.
d. Water pumped from inside SGB back into the canal to add to the flood water.

5. A man-made canal/ocean outflow constructed by developers to the north of SGB in the 1970’s to divert water from the north entering SGB was closed by Council due to salt water incursion during high seas (note that there was never a natural outflow at this location).
6. It would seem logical that flooding in New Brighton and probably South Golden Beach could be minimal if the flood water that ponds between South Golden Beach and New Brighton could be discharged to the ocean instead of flowing back to re-join Marshalls Creek at New Brighton, as it did historically.

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CASE STUDY COMPONENT 3
Ocean Shores Local Story & Observations:
View the presentation pages in relevant spots: see Slide 05 left column.
Little insight on flood process in Ocean Shores in the area near Waterlily Park is provided at this stage other than to note that the terrain model shows a pinch point in the drainage network that would be susceptible to failure if not maintained well.

Take Home Messages
View the presentation pages in relevant spots:
TBA

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CASE STUDY COMPONENT 4
Potential Flood Mitigation Strategies:
Please click here to access suggested solutions

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CASE STUDY COMPONENT 5
Potential Flood Mitigation Strategies:
North Byron Sky Pump Proposal
Please click here to access suggested solutions

 

Provide us with your comments on the North Byron Floodplain Risk Management Plan (Oct 2020);

The North Byron Floodplain Risk Management Plan October 2020 (NBFRMP) has been finalised.
Please view the plan and provide us with your COMMENT via email or a POST on the Facebook page link below.
Please provide name, location, email and mobile in your email feedback.

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