FAQs

A Floodplain Risk Management Study looks at what the risks/damages from floods might be and what we could do to reduce those risks. Examples of what we could do include: 

• Emergency response plans based on detailed understanding of flood behaviour. 

• Building new structures that collect and carry stormwater into drains or creeks, such as detention basins and swales or improving existing ones to better manage stormwater and floods. 

• Voluntary purchase of houses built in high flood -risk areas. 

A Floodplain Risk Management Plan gives us a prioritised plan of recommended measures to best address the existing and future flood problems in the area. It includes guidelines for all future developments in the area.

Floodplain risk management is a planned way to reduce the impact of floods on people, homes, and businesses. It is mainly led by local councils, with support from the NSW Government.

It follows NSW state guidelines and involves working together with different levels of government and the community. The following diagram represents this process.

Flood Risk Management Process (NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)

Regular review of Floodplain Risk Management Studies is essential due to our region’s complex and dynamic flood environment. It is also crucial to ensure they remain effective, relevant, and aligned with current conditions. The reasons for updating studies include: 

• New flood events provide additional data to improve flood models.
• Advancements in modelling techniques offer more accurate flood and climate predictions.
• Updated information from land surveys and community feedback enhances model accuracy.
• Changes in the catchment, like new developments or mitigation works, affect flood behaviour.
• Policy updates, such as changes to blockage assumptions, influence flood risk assessments.

When flood models are updated, flood levels and associated risks may change, requiring the management plan to be revised to remain effective and relevant.

Part of the purpose of the Study and Plan is to identify different actions and/or strategies that will reduce or prevent damage caused by flooding in this area, we call these ‘measures’. These are all available in detail in the Draft Floodplain Risk Mitigation Study and Plan.

You can view a map with the different recommended measures including structural works, and information on property modifications and response modifications.

Flood mitigation studies and plans can be difficult to understand due to their technical nature and the complexity of the information they contain. They often involve scientific data and modelling, engineering concepts, risk assessments and maps that may not be familiar to everyone.  

We’ve tried to pull out some of the key parts of the process, and the study, and included FAQs. 

To help with some of the complex and technical language, you can find definitions of the key terms in the current Wollongong Development Control Plan – Appendix 4 Definitions.

If you are interested in the detail, the full study and plan and flood maps are also available.  

We’ve got lots of resources to help you understand flooding in our community. Property owners play a big role in managing flooding, on their own land and across the city. 

When you visit our Floods and Stormwater page, you can find information on: 

• Creek maintenance
• Stormwater maintenance
• Flooding, stormwater and development
• How to apply for flood related information for your property
• Flood maps and catchments
• Flood related works and projects.

We also have several short, animated videos that use simple language to explain different topics relating to flooding in Wollongong.

Each year, Council spends millions of dollars on stormwater and floodplain management. Council’s flood studies and floodplain risk management studies help us understand the flood behaviour for a particular catchment and see if there are any ways of reducing flooding risk in that area.

Floodplain risk management plans include a plan of potential solutions aimed at reducing the existing and future flood risk. Following the adoption of a Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan, Council look forward to implementing the recommended measures based on priority and available funding and resources.

If you need to report a stormwater or flooding issue such as a blocked drain on Council land, or a damaged stormwater drain, you can let us know in the following ways:

• Visit our Report an Issue page and complete the online form.
• Call 4227 7111 and speak with our Customer Service team.
• Visit our Customer Service Centre in person at 41 Burelli Street, Wollongong.

Within the extent of flood-prone land and flood planning area, individual properties can experience varying flood impact due to things like drainage patterns, elevation or micro-topography.

Our modelling determines the extent of flooding throughout the catchment area and identifies which properties are likely to be impacted by flooding.

Use these links to access some of the flood-related information Council may hold for your property:

• Apply for Flood Information (past and expected flood levels for a property)
• Apply for a Planning Certificate to find out if Council has identified your property as flood affected.

Some flood-related information can also be viewed using Council's online maps:

• Flood level information map
• Planning and constraint map

If you need further assistance, you can also call our Customer Service Team (02) 4227 7111.

Council is responsible for maintaining watercourses (e.g. creeks, overflow paths or drainpipes) on Council-owned land and has a maintenance program for this. Most watercourses in our city are on private property and their maintenance is the responsibility of the landowner. In these cases, Council is unable to perform any work on the private watercourse.

We have some resources including simple steps to care for your creek available here.

We review all the feedback we heard from the community during the engagement period. This includes online engagement like a survey, face-to-face feedback, phone calls and written submissions. 

All feedback is important and is one factor in the decision-making process for Council. The graphic below shows some of the factors we consider in our decision making:

Community feedback will help develop a prioritised plan of options to help reduce flood risk through better planning, emergency management, and infrastructure. 

Once the Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan is adopted by Council, we’ll begin putting it into action. Some measures can be implemented reasonably quickly while others may take several years. Every 5-10 years, we go back to the beginning of this process and start again with a review of the Flood Study.

The Engagement Team will update the community on what was heard during the engagement period.