Woolomin flood problem fixed by council

In response to repeated requests to repair the dirt road of Lawrence St, council built the road up – but increasing its height has interrupted the town’s natural watercourse. Woolomin sits on a slight gradient, with all the run-off flowing towards Lawrence St, across the road and into the neighbouring paddocks.

Local Doug Moffat said his front yard has been a bog for months – ever since council built the road up – with up to six inches of water sitting in front of his house. 

“It’s going stagnant and it smells – when it rains heavily, the septic lines overflow, so there’s septic water mixed in there,” Mr Moffat said.

“Normally it’s not a problem, because it runs across the road onto the paddocks and it’s gone in a couple of days.”

It’s become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and the street’s parents won’t let their children play outside due to health concerns. Amelia Gordon’s daughter Makayla was rushed to hospital multiple times last year, after she had a severe allergic reaction to mosquito bites. Residents have resorted to moving the water with pumps.

Council said it was aware of the problem, but pointed out Woolomin was a natural floodplain, along with the recent unseasonably wet weather. Council engineers reviewed the site and came up with a solution to fix the issue, while reducing road maintenance.

“Bringing the road back to its original level is an option, however it would likely result in the return of the residents’ other concern; potholes on the road surface,” a TRC spokesperson said.

“Council will implement an alternative option by incrementally reducing the road level and observe changes to the water pooling. This allows council to make adjustments as required, with the condition to be monitored.

“Following this process, it is council's intention to install a shallow concrete causeway to permanently set the road level in two locations on Lawrence Street.”