FAQs
The City of Ballarat is obliged by state policy to develop integrated long-term plans for the sustainable development and wellbeing of their communities, as well as ensure policies and controls for land use remain current in the Ballarat Planning Scheme.
The City of Ballarat Council Plan 2025-2029 and Ballarat Strategy 2040 identifies a need to better understand the effects of flooding and introduce planning controls to enable authorities, residents and businesses to understand and manage flood risk.
Identifying flood risks will minimise the impacts of flooding on the community through accurate emergency response plans based on current data, improved planning and development decisions and assist in prioritising where infrastructure improvements and flood mitigation should occur.
Flood risk can be managed in different ways.
Mitigation measures provide a means to reduce the existing flood risk by lowering the likelihood of flooding and/or lowering the flood damages (consequences) for a given flood depth. Mitigation measures can be broken into:
Structural: Physical barriers or works designed to prevent flooding up to a specific design flood standard. Structural measures aim to reduce existing flood risk by reducing the likelihood of flooding at given locations. Structural works include levees, floodways, waterway works or improvements to hydraulic structures.
Non-structural: Management and planning arrangements between relevant authorities designed to reduce flood related damages. Non-structural measures aim to reduce existing flood risk by lowering the potential for flood damage. Non-structural measures include land use planning, flood warning, flood response and flood awareness.
This flood project only considers non structural mitigation measures, however these will be used to inform structural mitigation measures
In response to submissions, the flood models for Redan Creek and Canadian Creek and Tributaries were adjusted, with the final Ballarat 11 Waterways flood modelling is now available for the community to view prior to going to Council to consider for adoption.
The City of Ballarat will liaise with the Department of Transport and Planning to consider the most appropriate planning pathway to implement the flood overlays into the Ballarat Planning Scheme.
Ballarat City Council will consider the Ballarat 11 Waterways Flood Study 2025 and the proposed planning scheme amendment documentation at a Planning Delegated Committee Meeting and decide whether to adopt the flood models and request to start a planning scheme amendment to implement the flood overlay mapping into the Ballarat Planning Scheme.
The community will have an opportunity to review the flood study and proposed planning scheme amendment documents prior to any Council decision and will be invited to make a formal submission during any notice period or exhibition of the planning scheme amendment.
There are 11 waterways that are part of this project, with some tributaries (streams flowing from waterways) counted as one.
The waterways included are:
- Yarrowee River
- Gnarr Creek
- Canadian Creek and tributaries
- Bonshaw Creek
- Redan Creek
- Kensington Creek
- Chase Waterway
- Little Bendigo Creek
- Hit or Miss Gully
- Warrenheip Creek
- Ryans Drain.
There are several waterways, including defined waters, drains and gullies not included in the project.
The Winter Creek was not included due to its location on the municipality's outskirts. At the time the project was initiated, the creek did not directly impact any densely populated areas or areas identified for future development. However, planned growth in Ballarat West Urban Growth Zone has prompted the modelling of the Winter Creek, which is underway now. Given timing the modeling for Winter Creek will not be included in this project, as it relates to any proposed planning scheme amendment.
The Union Jack Creek was not included at the time the project was initiated, howeverhas been identified for modelling due to potential flood impacts within the township of Buninyong. This modelling is currently underway, however again due to timing will not be included in this project, as it relates to any proposed planning scheme amendment.
Burrumbeet catchment, including Miners Rest township, is not included, as it currently has flood overlays. These overlays are due to be updated and flood modelling is underway and planned for completion in the next financial year.
The Ballarat 11 Waterways flood modelling is now completed while the Planning Scheme Amendment process is anticipated to be initiated in the first half of 2026 and will likely run for 6 to 12 months.
The information generated by this flood modelling will be used by the City of Ballarat and Corangamite Catchment Management Authority to inform the application of flood overlays in the Ballarat Planning Scheme.
The information will also be used by VICSES and the City of Ballarat to plan flood response activities (cleaning drains, sand bagging, road closures etc) and mitigation planning and implementation.
Yes. Flood Intelligence Reports have been prepared as a part of the project. These reports identify flood depths and extents including where flood water crosses roadways, inundates special buildings such as emergency services, schools, and floodway velocities.
This information will provide a clearer picture of the extent of mitigation required to reduce inundation. The reports will also allow the City of Ballarat to plan drainage works in the areas that require mitigation.
A flood overlay is a map in the Planning Scheme that shows where land is at risk of flooding. The map corresponds to the relevant planning provisions in the Planning Scheme.
There are three overlays that can be applied to flood prone land including the Floodway Overlay (FO), Land Subject to Inundation Overlay (LSIO) and Special Building Overlay (SBO).
The flood overlays are specifically designed to identify land with particular flood characteristics and ensure that the use and development of flood prone land is designed and managed based on the level of flood risk through the planning permit process.
Flood overlays are a means of identifying land at risk of flooding.
They provide a trigger for the Catchment Management Authority and the Planning Authority to ensure development is designed to minimise the risk to life and property.
Where a proposed development does not expose people to an unacceptable hazard or does not make flooding worse elsewhere, it may be permitted subject to conditions.
Some buildings and works can be exempted from requiring a planning permit and these will be outlined in the Planning Scheme.
The insurance industry has developed its own database of flood risk for individual properties, the National Flood Information Database (NFID), which has regard for both depth and frequency of flooding. This national flood database is based on the most up-to-date flood studies, rather than flood overlays.
Flood overlays do not stop development. They provide a trigger for the Catchment Management Authority and the Planning Authority to ensure development is designed to minimise the risk to life and property.
Where a proposed development does not expose people to an unacceptable hazard or does not make flooding worse elsewhere, it may be permitted subject to conditions. Some buildings and works can be exempted from requiring a planning permit and these are detailed in the Schedules to the Floodway Overlay (FO) and Land Subject to Inundation Overlay (LSIO) and the Special Building Overlay (SBO). These schedules are to be included in the planning scheme amendment.
The property market determines the value of any residential property. Property owners should seek their own valuation advice if they are concerned that flood risk may influence their property value.
Flood events are described as an annual percentage likelihood (Annual Exceedance Probability – AEP). For example, a 1 per cent AEP event would have a one per cent likelihood of occurring in any given year, this would be the same as once in a 100-year period.
How flood estimation is done is determined by national guidelines called the Australian Rainfall and Runoff – A Guide to Flood Estimation published by the Australian Government and the peak body for engineers in Australia called Engineers Australia. Projected temperature increases that generate changes in rainfall patterns and volumes are factored into the flood modelling methodology as standard practice.
