EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Study Objective

SMEC Australia Pty Ltd (SMEC) was commissioned by Wollongong City Council (WCC) to undertake a review of the 2010 Brooks Creek Flood Study and Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan. The primary objectives of the study were to:

• Develop a revised Flood Study and Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan for the study area, so that Council and the Floodplain Management Committee can make informed management decisions and assess potential impacts associated with proposed floodplain management measures, and thus develop a sound and responsible approach to management of the floodplain and future development.
• Address the existing, future and continuing flood problems, taking into account the potential impacts of climate change.
• To protect, and where possible, enhance the creek/lake and floodplain environment.
• To be consistent with the objectives of the relevant State policies.
• To integrate the Floodplain Risk Management Plan with the local emergency management plan (flood plan), other relevant catchment management plans, Council’s existing corporate, business and strategic plans, existing and proposed environmental planning instruments and policies, and to meet Council’s obligations under the Local Government Act, 1993.
• To ensure actions arising out of the management plan are sustainable in social, environmental and economic terms, including the timely adaptation to climate change impacts as they manifest.
• To establish a program for implementation that should include priorities, staging, responsibilities, funding mechanism, constraints and monitoring.

This report is specifically related to the Review of the Brooks Creek Flood Study. Catchment and Study Area Brooks Creek is an urbanised catchment covering 5.03 square kilometres and draining water from an elevation of 120 m AHD into the tidally affected Lake Illawarra over a distance of about five kilometres. The south-east portion of the catchment is a densely forested hill known as Mount Brown Reserve. The catchment is also split by the M1 Princes Motorway that runs in a north south direction. The catchment west of the motorway is drained to Brooks Creek via a series of culverts that pass under the motorway. The 2010 study was combined with Mullet Creek. However, Council has now decided to split the two catchments so that Brooks Creek becomes a standalone study. This will enable a more detailed assessment of flooding within the Brooks Creek catchment, compared to the 2010 study.