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Barwon Heads residents now a step closer to a resolution of flooding problems
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
5:25 PM
Media Releases
Barwon Heads residents in the Bridge Road-Grove Road precinct are a step closer to an end to their long-standing flooding problems.
City of Greater Geelong contractors have now completed Stage One of a Three Stage, $2.6 million project expected to resolve the area’s previous drainage-related problems.
Cr Andy Richards, who holds Council’s Portfolio for Infrastructure and represents Buckley Ward, said the problems had stemmed from the fact that a number of areas in this precinct were located in low-lying depressions bounded by the Barwon River.
He said the Stage One works, costing $1 million, had involved the construction of a 600 mm diameter stormwater rising main running from the existing stormwater pump station at Clifford Parade to a connection point with the existing drainage system at Flinders Parade.
Cr Richards said Stage Two of the Project would begin in the new financial year, and would involve the replacement of the existing Clifford Parade pump station.
He said the existing Clifford Parade pump station had a capacity of only 120 litres per second, which is considered insufficient to cater for the flows generated by major storm events.
“The new pump station will utilise three pumps, with a combined capacity capable of handling the high-levels flows from major storm events,” Cr Richards said.
“At present, pumped flows from the low-lying areas and flows from areas that can be drained by gravity are combined in a single-pipe system that flows to the Barwon River via the existing outfall under the jetty at the end of Ozone Road.”
“A single-pipe system cannot be maintained with the installation of the new multiple pumps, because the resulting flows would back-up in the gravity pipe network, resulting in flooding in other areas.”
“Because of this, it is essential that the pressurised pipe network be separated from the gravity-fed pipe network.”
Cr Richards said Stage Three of the project would entail the construction of a new stormwater rising main and outfall, necessary to transfer the flows from the new pump station to the outfall.
“This new stormwater main will follow an alignment north from the Clifford Parade pump station, along Grove Road and then east along Ozone Road to Flinders Parade,” he said.
“This section of the stormwater main will consist of a single pipe laid within the road reserve of Grove Road and Ozone Road.”
“The existing outfall is not fully buried and discharges before the end of the jetty,” Cr Richards said.
“The way it is at present, the height of the outfall and the sand scour at the end of the pipe look very unappealing, and can impede pedestrians who walk along the beach.”
Cr Richards said that the Stage Three works would result in the pipes being laid at a lower level than at present, enabling them to be made much less visually obtrusive to beachgoers.
He said the proposed discharge point for the pipes would extend further out into the Barwon, further minimising sand scour.
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