By Matthew Sims
Melbourne Water has launched a review of the decision to erect a flood wall around Flemington Racecourse following last Friday’s flooding event along the Maribyrnong River
The State Emergency Service (SES) issued a major flood warning about 2.30am on Friday as a result of significant rain in the upper ends of the Maribyrnong River catchment coinciding with high tide.
About 60 properties in Maribyrnong were impacted.
A Melbourne Water spokesperson said the review would examine possible impacts of constructed assets in the flood plain, including the Flemington flood wall.
“The construction of the flood wall was subject to a range of additional flood mitigation measures as well as the Victoria Racing Club’s ongoing maintenance and management of these assets,” the spokesperson said.
The Victoria Racing Club [VRC] built the flood wall around the Flemington Racecourse in 2007, after receiving approval from the state government to undertake upgrade and flood protection in 2004.
Maribyrnong council has welcomed the review of the flood wall.
Speaking on Nine’s Today program, Racing Victoria chief executive Andrew Jones said the VRC was entitled to protect itself by building the wall.
“That’s obviously had unintended consequences to neighbouring residents,” he said.
“Obviously there’s no intention of the VRC to cause harm.
“They (were) trying to protect the Spring Carnival and the Melbourne Cup Carnival which is a massively important part of Victorian life and the Victorian economy.”
Former Maribyrnong councillor and Western Metropolitan MP Colleen Hartland said there had been strong community advocacy opposing the construction of the flood wall around the Flemington racecourse.
“It was pretty clear the wall would have a profound effect,” she said.
“All the fears that residents had … have unfortunately come true.”
“I think it needs to be an independent inquiry.”
Melbourne Greens MP Ellen Sandell said the racecourse was on a floodplain and should hold floodwater when needed.
“Instead, it’s the only dry land for miles around, while people have lost their cars, some in nearby Maribyrnong have flooded homes and businesses and people were yesterday evacuating in rubber dinghies,” she said in a post to Facebook.
On Saturday, Victoria SES operations chief officer Tim Wiebusch could not say whether the floodwall exacerbated flooding in residential areas.
“Whether that has contributed to some of the flooding is something probably that we would need to refer to Melbourne Water to talk through (how it) plays out hydrologically,” he said.
With Rachael Ward/AAP
