The cleanup of Yarralumla Creek after torrential rain is expected to take several weeks. Photo: ACT Government.
The appropriateness of keeping Yarralumla Creek as a concrete drain is being questioned after large sections of cement were (yet again) ripped up and carried downstream during recent torrential rain.
The first phase of the cleanup is expected to take weeks, after which insurance authorities can assess the damage. Only then can planning for permanent repairs proceed.
Independent Murrumbidgee MLA Fiona Carrick said the extensive damage to the floodway showed why the creek needed to be renaturalised.
“Long, straight concrete drains that enable fast-moving water with an incredible force that destroys concrete panels are not an effective answer to flood mitigation in our urban areas,” she said.
“As the effects of climate change intensify, we need to be looking at more sophisticated approaches to managing stormwater flows.”
The ACT Government is examining flooding issues along Yarralumla Creek, given the location’s proximity to the future light rail route to Woden and the proposed North Curtin Residential Area.
This includes a Yarralumla Creek and Weston Creek catchments flood study, the Woden District Infrastructure and Utility Study, and the Light Rail Stage 2B draft environmental impact statement.
Ms Carrick has argued that the recent rain, which also caused significant flooding in the basement of the nearby Ivy apartment tower, demonstrates the need for immediate action to improve flood mitigation in the area.
“This flooding shows why we also need to avoid putting residential buildings along flood-prone waterways, such as the ACT Government is planning to do from Curtin to Mawson,” she said.
“If we don’t take action to renaturalise Yarralumla Creek, Mother Nature has shown that she will do it for us.”
The Curtin Residents Association has long been pushing for change along Yarralumla Creek.
President Ian Elsum said there had been a “consistent history” of major rain events that had led to the floodway overflowing its banks and damaging the drainage system.
“For the people who live on the creek, it’s a significant concern that one day there will be a large rain deluge and come up to the houses,” he said.
“One of my thoughts is: are we seeing more and more damage because of more and more rain events … and is this related to more and more concrete in the catchment?”
This is the second time in four years that Yarralumla Creek has been ripped up by rainfall.
Seven people drowned there during a flood in 1971.
The Association has been urging the ACT Government to include regulations mandating a maximum of 40 per cent of impervious surfaces in developments.
“There’s a genuine concern in the community about the extent of flooding at Yarralumla Creek, and we’re worried it’s going to get worse because of the impact of climate change, densification and urbanisation,” Mr Elsum said.
“It would be nice if the government took a holistic approach [to the area] … they might say they’re doing it, refer to the principles on urban design, [but] as a community, we’re not seeing that translate into action.
“A holistic approach would be looking at what can be done around flood mitigation with nature-based solutions, and also looking seriously at the impact that urban infill and much more severe rain events with climate change [would have].”
Renaturalisation of the ACT’s concrete drains has come under scrutiny, particularly after the ACT Government abandoned similar plans for Sullivan’s Creek and the Tuggeranong Creek re-connection.
ACT Greens healthy waterways spokesperson Laura Nuttall said her party was “increasingly worried” that all ambition to renaturalise Canberra’s concrete drains was gone.
“Last year, during annual reports hearings, questioning from the Greens revealed that under Labor, funding for the successful Healthy Waterways program has all but dried up,” she said.
“If we don’t invest in our waterways now, more extreme weather events and a heavy pollutant load will push our waterways past the point of no return. Canberrans deserve clean, fresh water, and they deserve peace of mind that governments are doing everything in their power to make sure our waterways are safe.”
Stages 1 and 2 of the Healthy Waterways program ran from 2014 to 2021 and from 2021 to June 2025, costing $124 million in total (across the ACT and Commonwealth governments).
An ACT Government spokesperson insisted it is continuing to invest “heavily” to investigate and address water quality issues in Canberra.
“The most recent work has focused on developing catchment plans that consolidate learnings from the program and present options to government to address water quality,” they said.
“The ACT Government’s future investment, subject to ongoing budget considerations, is likely to focus on developing and implementing these plans that use evidence-based methods to reduce the amount of nutrients and pollutants from getting into the ACT’s waterways.”
Whether this involves renaturalising Yarralumla Creek remains to be seen.
A motion from Ms Carrick has called on the government to undertake a Yarralumla Creek renaturalisation options report and identify the space required for project opportunities across the catchment, update flood-risk mapping for extreme weather events, and not to sell land along the creek until this has happened.
The government is due to report back to the Legislative Assembly by December.
