GANNAWARRA Shire Council will review locations where water from last weekend’s significant rainfall event failed to drain away.
A number of locations in the shire’s most populated towns, including Cohuna, Kerang and Leitchville, were inundated with water after the district received its summer average in the space of 12 hours.
It took some locations close to 24 hours from the first downpour to be cleared of water.
“We will look at locations where water struggled to get away, which may be due to possible underground network issues, and devise a management program to deal with these matters,” council’s director of infrastructure and development, Geoff Rollinson said.
“In some instances, we will go out and remove tree roots that have blocked the systems, whilst other sections may need desilting.”
Council staff were prepared for last weekend’s rainfall, ensuring pumps that aimed to clear stormwater from collection points into natural waterways, such as the Loddon River at Kerang, were operating.
Staff also travelled around each of the towns on Saturday closing roads to prevent the threat of damage to properties.
“We had to close some roads to prevent vehicles that drove through the water creating a backwash that would push water up nature strips and, in some cases, under houses,” Mr Rollinson said.
“Although we had a couple of issues where people were driving through floodwater, we appreciate the efforts of the community and their understanding.”
