Floodplain management plans for the City of Sydney local area have been developed and adopted by Council. The plans include flood mitigation measures and what can be done to help affected areas.
Under the NSW Government's flood prone land policy the City is required to manage flooding issues and put plans into place to safeguard flood-prone areas.
The local area has been divided into 8 catchments covering 2,666ha.
- Alexandra Canal catchment
- Blackwattle Bay catchment
- Centennial Park catchment
- Darling Harbour catchment
- Johnstons Creek catchment
- Rushcutters Bay catchment
- Sydney City catchment
- Woolloomooloo catchment.
Due to high urbanisation since the 19th century across the local area there are not many natural creeks or open surface water bodies in the catchment areas to accommodate stormwater.
Generally, stormwater from frequent minor storm events is managed by conventional pits and pipe systems. In less frequent, but major rainfall events, stormwater in excess of the conventional systems travels along low gradients of the catchments, ultimately draining into Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay.
The combination of steep and flat terrain, high density residential, commercial and industrial areas has made areas susceptible to flash flooding. Being aware of the potential for flooding and knowing how to respond will make flood events more manageable.
We are progressively introducing the floodplain management plans, in the final stage of the floodplain risk management process, as outlined in the NSW Government's flood prone land policy.