Residents are urged to ensure loose material on their property is removed or compacted to prevent flooding.
Stormwater generated from private property should also be retained on site wherever practical.
Background
The extreme rain event from Wednesday, 1 May 2024 resulted in Bunbury and surrounds recording a 2-day total of 55mm of rainfall.
This the most rain the area has seen since August 2023 and a three year high for May.
The rainfall intensified on Thursday, 2 May. Severe thunderstorms and a cold front swept across the Region, with some towns recording more than 100mm of rain in a day.
The heavy rainfall fell over a very short period of time after a long dry spell.
This resulted in large volumes of debris being washed from driveways, verges and vacant blocks into the Shire’s road drainage systems.
The intensity of the rain event exceeded the accepted design capacity of the existing road drainage. Due to this, some areas experienced flooding causing stormwater to enter private property.
Blocked pipes, inspection chambers and gullies now need to be cleared. Roads also need to be swept.
The Shire and its contractors are currently undertaking this work. Unfortunately, it will take some time.
The Shire will be also be investigating if improvements can be carried out. However, there is no guarantee the same issues will not reoccur in a similar rain event.
Therefore it is incumbent of residents to ensure that loose material on their property/s be removed or compacted and that stormwater generated from private property be retained on site where practical.
This is because the road drainage system is predominantly designed to take road water and not stormwater runoff from private property.
We thank you for your patience, understanding and cooperation.