Flood of opinion wanted

CAMPASPE Shire is calling on the community to contribute local knowledge and experience to feed into a flood study for Kyabram.The project examines flooding in town from storm events as well as influences from water flows in the mosquito depression.“The community can contribute in two ways: by joining the drop-in information session providing the opportunity to learn about the extent of the study and what it involves, or online through an interactive map,” Mayor Adrian Weston said.“At the information session, specialist engineers Water Modelling Solutions will be presenting an overview of the study and seeking local knowledge, as well as capturing any issues of concern from the community.”The drop-in session will be held on Tuesday, October 22, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm at the Kyabram Community and Learning Centre. “I encourage residents with a knowledge of past events, or with any flood-related issues to attend. It is very important that local knowledge is captured and fed into the study,” Cr Weston said.The interactive mapping is available through council’s website.“It allows residents to go online and record where they have seen flooding or drainage problems in the past and mark the locations on the map,” Cr Weston said.Comments can be made through the online mapping tool directly, or by email.The need for the study is in response to significant development within Kyabram and the need for up-to-date flooding information to manage the town’s growth.It will also examine the performance of the existing drainage system and flood mitigation works and ultimately recommend improvements to ensure the town’s long-term safety and security. “Once the draft flood study is complete, the wider community will be asked for comment,” Cr Weston said.Full details, with a link to the interactive map, are available from Campaspe Shire’s website, through the ‘Have your say’ tab.