Pental Island Flood Protection Gets Boost (Australia)

Upgrades to a section of the Pental Island flood levee will help reduce the impact of floods on the Murray River community, Minister for Water Peter Walsh announced today.

Visiting the site today, Mr Walsh said the $460,000 project was significant for the community which was still recovering from the 2011 floods.

“The Pental Island community relies on the levee to protect it from flooding from the Murray and Little Murray rivers, but that was put at risk when an older section of the levee wall was damaged during the January 2011 floods,” Mr Walsh said.

“The Victorian Coalition Government is committed to helping rural and regional communities rebuild after the 2010 and 2011 floods, and to be prepared for future floods.

“This project will realign a 3.3 kilometre section of the levee wall along the Murray River frontage, to the north of Pental Island and Wearne Roads.

“This will bring the length of the levee up to a consistent standard and reduce the impact of future floods on the community. Works to the levee began in early April and the upgrade should be completed later this month.

“I commend the North Central CMA along with Parks Victoria, Department of Environment and Primary Industries and Swan Hill Rural City Council for their work on this project, and local landholders and the Wemba Wamba Aboriginal Corporation for their support,” Mr Walsh said.

The levee upgrade is part of a broader $10 million flood recovery program in the region, which was jointly funded by the Victorian and Commonwealth governments through the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements program.

Other works in north central Victoria include replacing or repairing hundreds of kilometres of fences along waterways, erosion control repairs and revegetation.

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Press Release, June 13, 2014