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Belongil Creek floodplain

Belongil Creek is situated to the west of Byron Bay, is approximately 3km long and has a catchment of around 3000 hectares. The Byron Bay township drains to Belongil Creek and is susceptible to flooding from both intense rainfall over the town catchment and elevated ocean levels.

Introduction

Some notable past flood events include:

  • June 1945 which at the time resulted in unprecedented property damage
  • 1954 during which cyclonic activity resulted in the loss of the Byron Bay jetty.
  • March 1974 when it was reported that water entered shops in the northern end of Jonson St for the first time in living memory. Further flooding occurred in April 1974.
  • April 1984 in which moderately heavy rainfall and high seas resulted in flooding of the estuary and town centre. It is believed that the Belongil Creek ocean entrance was closed, exacerbating flooding.
  • February 1995 when moderately heavy rainfall resulted flooding of the township
  • 1998 when heavy rainfall resulted in floods in April, May and September
  • 2003 when a succession of moderate floods occurred in February, April and June.
  • June 2005 which caused some flooding in Belongil Creek but severe flooding in other catchments to the north of Byron Bay.

Catchment description

The township of Byron Bay is situated toward the eastern boundary of the catchment with most of the residential development on higher ground. The transport of catchment runoff to the estuary is influenced by numerous man made drains and infrastructure. These include the Union Drain, the Byron Bay town drain (or Butler Street Drain), the North Coast Railway line, Ewingsdale Road and numerous bridges and culverts.

Parts of the catchment area have undergone urban development, but over one-third of the catchment area is covered by Cumbebin Swamp. Large areas of swamp near the town have been reclaimed and developed, reducing the storage within the catchment. Despite this, significant portions of the catchment area are below 2 m Australian Height Datum (AHD).

Documents

The Belongil Creel Flood Study (2009) was adopted by Council on 12 November 2009. This document includes an assessment of the possible effect Climate Change may have on flooding in the catchment.

A previous Belongil Creek Flood Study was finalised in February 1986, prepared by the Public Works Department.

To follow on from Councils adoption of the Belongil Creel Flood Study, Council is currently preparing a Belongil Creek Flood Risk Management Study and Plan.

Minutes from the Flood Risk Management Committee meetings for this project can be found at Belongil Creek Flood Risk Management Committee.