In October 2020, Melbourne Water let us know that they had completed their flood modelling and found two technically feasible options for flood mitigation in the Reserve. We understood a decision would be up to two years away – but it’s already here!
Melbourne Water have let us know that they have decided to move forward with re-landscaping the Reserve to divert flood water away from Elwood and towards the Head Street diversion, increasing the capacity of the Head Street diversion to roughly double.
The assessment considered the economic impact, how many floors and properties would be affected by flooding, and safety improvements. “Our analysis showed increasing the capacity of the diversion drain provides better flood mitigation and would have a smaller impact on the park and existing users,” Melbourne Water’s report said.