Council will be partnering with a group of community members, to undertake an independent review of the Carisbrook Levee.
The Carisbrook Levee project was completed in June 2023 and designed by specialists Entura in response to major floods which occurred in 2010 and 2011.
The Carisbrook Levee Independent Review Reference Group, who have met twice to date, is made up of:
- Community representatives, Keith McLeish, Trish Coutts, Peter Higgins, Ian Boucher, Wayne McKail, Judi McKail, Paula Forbes, Greg Cochran, Bryan Perry and Leonie Van Rooyen
- Council staff – CEO Lucy Roffey, Acting General Manager Infrastructure, Assets and Planning Bill Millard and Manager Community Engagement Kylie Long
- Councillors Anna De Villiers and Wayne Sproull
An Independent Engineer, who has been identified by members of the reference group, will be appointed to conduct the review with the final report to be provided by the end of September 2024.
The group have agreed through their Terms of Reference that they will accept the findings of the Independent Review.
Council will receive a report at the June Council Meeting updating them on the work of the reference group and requesting endorsement of the Terms of Reference.
Council will be the ultimate decisionmaker in response to the report recommendations from the Independent Reviewer including any actions that might be implemented and funded.
The reference group is considering a number of different ways to keep the community updated on the review, so they feel well informed. There will also be opportunities for anyone in the community to provide information to the Independent Reviewer that they feel is relevant and would assist the review.
Central Goldfields Shire CEO Lucy Roffey said the formation of the group was a positive step towards working together with the community to provide peace of mind that the levee will hold in a one in one-hundred-year flood.
"The review will give us all a deeper understanding of the Levee and what it is capable of. Our hope is that it will give the Carisbrook community the confidence it needs in what has been built.
"We remain committed to doing everything it can to supporting the Carisbrook community in managing flood mitigation."
Carisbrook Levee Independent Review Reference Group member Ian Boucher said "my thoughts and hope is that with the Shire and residents working together, we can achieve peace of mind, and finally ease the trauma caused by flooding in Carisbrook and end the continuous debate on the levee."
