Catchment Action Plan
The 2013 flood event severely impacted the Upper Tenthill area. The economic impact on farmers in the area was high. Large areas of alluvial flats used for irrigated horticulture were washed away. Road crossings were destroyed and access to the valley was substantially constrained for months after the event, resulting in significant financial and social impacts on businesses and residents.
Road crossings have since been reinstated via NDRRA funding with some armouring in place. However, the creek also avulsed to take a new course which has created a straightened reach exceeding 2km in length. This has the potential to cause significant damage to creek banks and assets located downstream in future flood events.
Council will work with landholders within the Tenthill Creek Catchment to improve community resilience by:
- Investigating alternative access routes for the community to use during and after climatic events such as floods which destroy current access infrastructure;
- Identifying energy dissipation measures within the catchment, to reduce the stream power and hence reduce damage to assets and erosion;
- Working with landholders to identify actions which will improve the financial viability and environmental quality of their properties ;
- Restoring native vegetation cover on hill slopes by targeting weed removal, improving pasture and revegetating with naturally occurring native species to:
- improve economic viability of grazing,
- slow rainwater runoff,
- reduce sediment movement,
- manage salinity,
- increase groundwater intake and
- improve native habitat.
- Stabilising creek banks and alluvial areas at strategic sites to:
- protect infrastructure and mitigate future impacts on key road assets in the Woodbine to Mt Sylvia section;
- Test the potential benefits of transferring sediment accumulation from the Tenthill Weir to upstream sites:
- To repair damaged alluvial flats, as well as enhance groundwater recharge and sediment trapping at the weir itself.
The Improving Community Resilience in the Tenthill Catchment project will be delivered in three phases. Phase 1 (between Woodbine and Mt Sylvia) has been designed as a demonstration project to test approaches. Phases 2 and 3 will occur in other sections of the sub-catchment (sites to be determined).
