A $284,000 grant has been secured to build a new stormwater pump station in Murwillumbah, behind the Dorothy-William Street levee, as Tweed Shire Council works to mitigate the effects of flooding and build resilience to natural disasters and the impact of climate change.
The funding is part of the New South Wales Government’s 2022-23 Floodplain Management Program, designed to help ensure communities are better prepared for and protected from potential flooding. It will be matched by $142,000 from Council’s Flood Mitigation budget.
Council had already conducted the Murwillumbah Leagues Club Area Drainage Study of the football club site and surrounds, with the installation of a pump station to remove stormwater that gets trapped behind the levee during flood events one of the study’s recommendations.
Council’s Director Engineering, David Oxenham, said the pump station would benefit the community by mitigating stormwater flooding and reducing stormwater entering the sewerage system.
“While a stormwater pump won’t flood-proof the area, it will reduce the frequency of flooding especially for the community sports facilities provided at Murwillumbah Leagues Club,” Mr Oxenham said.
“It will reduce the amount of time the area is out of action and cleanup costs borne by the club and other landholders.
“Planning for future flooding events as a result of climate change is crucial to ensuring the safety of our community.”
Planning, design and tendering for the new pump station must be completed before the station is able to be constructed, with completion not expected until 2024.
The pump station will be built behind the levee, located near Council’s wastewater treatment plant to the north of Murwillumbah Leagues Club.
The Floodplain Management Program will provide $9.9 million to 65 council projects across New South Wales, with a focus on understanding risks and taking action to reduce the impact of floods on local communities.
Featured image: Flooding in Murwillumbah. Image: Tweed Shire Council.
