Back Creek has broken its banks at least 7 times in the past 14 years, flooding nearby properties in Epsom and Huntly. One of these events being on the 2nd of January 2024 when the creek went from being empty in the morning, to breaking its banks in the afternoon, after only 30mm of rain. As new information has been brought to life, this has now become a two part petition.

1. STOP APPROVING FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS ON FLOODPLAINS:

The City of Greater Bendigo have been approving numerous developments on floodplains, without considering the flooding impact on Huntly and Epsom residents. The flood waters that once sat on these newly built up developments now have to spread out and flood elsewhere. This is causing the floodplain to become wider and deeper.

We are calling on the Bendigo Council to stop approving all future developments on floodplains. We believe that sustainable development should not come at the cost of our homes or safety.

2. CLEAR/DREDGE BACK CREEK:

Back Creek hasn't received any maintenance in numerous years. It's a shallow/narrow creek and some sections are blocked by trees, causing its capacity to quickly become overwhelmed. As further developments continue to be approved on the floodplain, more and more water is being forced back into the creek, only making the problem worse. This neglect has lead to flooding for new and existing properties alike.

As many of the congested sections of Back Creek are on crown land, we are calling on the Victorian Government to clear Back Creek from 302 Station St, Epsom to Bendigo-Tennyson Road in Huntly, by removing the trees, widening the creek and removing the soil to increase its capacity.

UPDATES ON CLEARING BACK CREEK:

The North Central Catchment Management Authority have said that they can issue permits for works on Back Creek, but they don't undertake any works themselves. They said that it is Bendigo Councils responsibility as it's within an urban area. For the general public, they will only consider issuing permits to land owners of private land that Back Creek passes through. They will not issue a permit to the public for crown or council land.

I spoke with Andrew Cooney (City of Greater Bendigo's CEO) who said that they could apply for a permit from the NCCMA to then remove the trees that are congesting the creek. Bendigo Council have since contacted me to let me know that they can't schedule works on most parts of Back Creek, as a large majority of it is either on private property or crown land. They suggest that we pursue the Victorian Government. The council have since cleared 20m of creek at the end of Airey St, Huntly (council land), which they seem pretty proud about. Unfortunately, clearing 20m of the creek won't help the whole creek to flow better when the adjacent 450m upstream is still blocked by trees.

The Bendigo Advertiser contacted the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action on our behalf. Their response was "It appears that the City of Greater Bendigo manages the Back Creek".

I will now be submitting this petition to our members of parliament, COGB mayor and councillors.

Please sign this petition today!