Peel River could flood Tamworth due to the trees growing in its bank

A number of trees have taken root in the bank of the river, creating an obstacle course for debris travelling down the river.

Tamworth Regional Council deputy mayor Russell Webb asked council staff to investigate what potential risk the trees pose and prepare a report on the issue.

“It’s be been some time since we’ve had a reasonable flush of the river and as a result we’ve seen a huge built up in the growth of saplings, shrubs and small trees,” Councillor Webb said.

“It’s not only in the river bed, but on the banks where the water reaches at high flow.

“There is the potential for them to catch debris coming down the river and create barriers, which would back the water up to a height that could cause damage to the nearby sporting fields and other infrastructure.

“If we do get a major flow and flush of the river there could be a small flood or even a large flood.”

Well established trees could also alter the flow of the river and create an erosion problem.

While it is not council’s responsibility to manage the river, Cr Webb said the report would be presented to the NSW government, if it found the trees posed a flood risk.

It could take a while for the issue to make it’s away through the various levels of bureaucracy, so it is best to get the ball rolling as soon as possible Cr Webb said.

“We need to identify what the risk levels are and if they are high enough – which I think they probably will be – to make approaches to the relevant state authorities to embark on the process of cleaning the river out,” he said.

A number of people have approach Cr Webb about the issue in the last few months.

“This isn’t something that’s new. About 20 years ago there was a massive campaign to remove the big willows from the Peel, where they were causing blockages,” he said.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out a huge amount of growth in a river bed will cause a drama in a major flood event.”