Wakefield secures federal funding to boost flood resilience

WAKEFIELD Regional Council has successfully secured $1.6 million in federal funding under the Disaster Ready Fund (Round 3) to deliver Stage 1 of the Building Wakefield’s Flood Resilience project.

This critical initiative will address long-standing flood risks in Balaklava by:

• Raising Dunn Road to divert floodwaters away from Townsvale Estate.
• Constructing a stormwater management network and sealing roads within Townsvale Estate to protect homes.

The total Stage 1 investment of $3.2 million will be jointly funded by Council and the Federal Government.

These works will significantly reduce the impact of a 1 in 100-year flood event, improve community safety and support future residential development.

Council has completed detailed design, land access arrangements and risk assessments for this project, meaning construction can commence following execution of agreements, endorsement of the Implementation Plan and allocation of the Council matched funding requirement most likely over two financial years in 2026-27 and 2027-28.

Based on current timelines, grant agreement signing is anticipated about April 2026 due to government caretaker mode during the State Election period.

Mayor Rodney Reid said it was a significant step towards connecting a large portion of the township to road and drainage infrastructure and unlocking development potential of residential blocks.

"This funding is a major win for our community," he said.

"It will deliver long-term protection for residents and businesses, reduce emergency response pressures and strengthen our region’s resilience to natural disasters."

Following a major flooding event in 2016, Council undertook extensive research, review and preparation work for the project.

As a historically privately owned development, Townsvale Estate has no existing stormwater infrastructure.

Based on relatively recent floodplain mapping along the Wakefield River, it was identified that flood waters could, in certain scenarios, reach Townsvale Estate area via Dunn Road from the east. Flood waters could also spill over the disused railway line and flood low-lying residential areas to the west of the estate, including Wattle Ridge.

By undertaking these works, it would remove the need to raise the levels of the disused rail line that runs parallel with Sandgate Street but still provide an improved level of flood protection to the low-lying areas to the west of the rail line.

"Stormwater construction works and sealing of roads within Townsvale Estate are expected to occur after or in conjunction with the works proposed for Dunn Road," Mr Reid said.

"These works would mitigate stormwater issues impacting roads and homes and improve development prospects of vacant residential blocks in the area."