Council has endorsed a comprehensive strategy for flood recovery which aims to focus Council’s recovery efforts, define the advocacy role with State and Federal governments, and inform the community of the scope and timing of works.

Council recognises that while there has been some significant damage and loss caused by the recent flood, this presents as an opportunity to create more resilient and sustainable infrastructure, which will help mitigate the impacts of any future flood on the community.

As part of the Flood Recovery Strategy, Council will be advocating for funding assistance to upgrade two key assets; the Twentyfirst Street Bridge and the discharge points of the stormwater network.  This type of infrastructure improvement is often referred to as ‘betterment’ by the State and Federal governments.

The Twentyfirst Street Bridge is a crucial piece of infrastructure within Renmark, however, the bridge was significantly damaged due to the recent flood and engineering assessments have confirmed the bridge is no longer safe to use. The bridge therefore needs replacement and is one of the top priorities identified by Council to improve the effectiveness and resilience of the future asset.

One of the most significant and expensive exercises during the flood was the closure of the stormwater network to prevent flooding from back flow. The discharge points of the stormwater network were not designed to be closed off, which made the works exceptionally challenging. A redesign of the stormwater discharge points to improve the effectiveness of the system would be beneficial in future floods.

Our community has experienced challenging times since the flood. Council’s priority is to ensure the community's safety and to minimise the future impacts of flooding. Council firmly believe that the identified betterment projects are a critical part of our flood recovery strategy, and Council are committed to advocating for these projects to improve the resilience of our community.

The Renmark Paringa Council's flood recovery strategy emphasises the importance of building stronger, more sustainable infrastructure which will lead to a resilient community. In addition to the replacement of the Twentyfirst Street Bridge and addressing the discharge points of the stormwater network, the strategy outlines other actions prioritised as part of recovery.

To access a copy of Council’s Flood Recovery Strategy 2023 please view the link below:

Renmark Paringa Council's Flood Recovery Strategy 2023