The Belongil Creek is approximately 3km long and has a catchment of around 30 square kilometres. Parts of the catchment area have undergone urban development, but over one-third of the catchment area is covered by the Cumbebin Swamp. The township of Byron Bay is situated toward the eastern boundary of the catchment. Flooding within the Belongil Creek catchment is influenced by numerous manmade structures. These include the North Coast Railway line, Ewingsdale Road, the Union Drain, the Byron Bay town drain (or Butler Street Drain) and the capacity limitations of the Byron Bay township stormwater drainage system. Additionally, intermittent closure of the creek entrance through sand build up also exacerbates flood levels throughout the catchment under heavy rainfall conditions. In contrast however, closure of the creek entrance may also reduce ocean induced flooding during times of elevated ocean levels.
The objectives of the Belongil Creek Floodplain Risk Management Plan are:
- To detail recommended floodplain management measures for the Byron township area (as recommended by the Belongil Creek Floodplain Management Committee);
- To present a brief economic analysis of the proposed floodplain management scheme, including an overall benefit-cost ratio;
- To develop an implementation plan for the proposed scheme and present a program to illustrate the proposed actions and annual cost estimates associated with the implementation of the measures; and
- To take into account the funding from Council and the State Government when estimating the cost for implementation.
