Territory Stories

Flood Warning and Damages in Alice Springs: Part 1 Executive Summary. Part 2 Tangible Damages Part 3 Intangible Damages & Emergency Procedures

Details:

Title

Flood Warning and Damages in Alice Springs: Part 1 Executive Summary. Part 2 Tangible Damages Part 3 Intangible Damages & Emergency Procedures

Creator

Handmer, John; Smith, D. I.; Greenaway, Mark

Collection

E-Publications; E-Books; PublicationNT; Report ; 53/1989

Date

1989-04-01

Description

Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).

Notes

Date:1989-04

Language

English

Publisher name

Power and Water Authority

Place of publication

Alice Springs

Series

Report ; 53/1989

File type

application/pdf.

Copyright owner

Check within Publication or with content Publisher.

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/228902

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/673596

Page content

Technical Report WRA89053 Viewed at 03:02:00 on 18/02/2010 Page 8 of 139. I I I I I I I I I I' I I I I I I 1 J ,~;om:-"c:,n. Opportunities for flood w~arninC]s are therefore QIJir@limite-c-TherehavobaPTI! tn" ~~~epn 'si~ni~irant' -~ _ .... <,- - ~ ...... --~ - --~ -- .... ,j ----'--" ~loods reco~ded at Alice Sp~ings this century. Flood hazard management In contrast to the rest of Australia, local government in the Sorthern Territory has limited powers. It has no direct planning power or role in floodplai~ development. The Ter=itory Government controls planning mainly through ~he Norr.hern Territory Planning Authori::y. In theory, concentration of power at one level of government should sim~lify matters and help ensu=e pc~icy implementation. But, this does not appear to always be the case. In 1980 the Territory Government adopted an interim floodplain policy and established a Floodplain Management Committee co develop the policy further and to o~/ersee implementation. However, between 1980 and 1988 the Cormnittee was only partially effective and progress with policy development and implementation was limited, although there was progress with flood :napping and warning systems. The reasons for this situation relate mainly to lack of continuity within the administra'tion (~oJatsonJ' 1988). Ove':: the last te\'i years: the responsible Minister has changed; t~ere has been a number of different people responsible for chairing the Floodplain Nanasement Committee; and organisational changes have moved the ~ater Resources Group through fo~r differerlt departmen~s or authorities. Since the Easter 1988 flood the Committee appears to have again become ver:y acr.ive. The policy specified that new areas for development were to be sited above the 1:100 flood level. Infill develQpment was to have floor levels I,ith 300mm freeboard above the Jtdesignated flood rt This was incorporated into~ the Northern Territory Building Code. However, at the time of the study the "designated flood" had yet to be formally proclaimed for Alice Springs, although it appears that the 1:100 flood has been used. In addi~ion, there is no flood related zoning for the city. This helps to explain recent development along Barrett Drive (which runs along the eastern bank of the Todd). Some of this development is raised, such as the Floreat Villas subdivision, but some is at natural ground level and flood prone. This continues the tlistorical trend of encroachment up to the edge of the river channels. Aborigines and flooding in Alice Springs .J..bo!:.iqinal YrTown camps" il...boriginal people live in conventional housing distributed throughout the town, and in town ca~ps both within and on the outskirts of Alice Springs. Many of the "town campsl1 have housing units sU,itable fo= extended family occupation