Brown Hill & Keswick Creek Stormwater Management

Brown Hill & Keswick Creeks

The Brown Hill and Keswick Creek (BHKC) Stormwater Management Project is a collaborative effort between the catchment councils of Adelaide, Burnside, Mitcham, Unley and West Torrens to mitigate serious flood risks and help safeguard properties across the catchment of Brown Hill and Keswick Creeks.

The project has developed a 2016 Stormwater Management Plan (2016 SMP) to substantially reduce the number of properties that would be affected by very large flood events along the four major watercourses of the catchment.

The 2016 SMP was submitted to the Stormwater Management Authority for approval in March 2016 and builds on the 2012 SMP (gazetted as the SMP in 2013).

It includes recommended flood mitigation infrastructure works in two categories, Part A Works and Part B Works, as follows:

Part A Works: are designed to mitigate flooding generated from the mainly urban sub-catchments of lower Brown Hill Creek and Keswick, Glen Osmond and Parklands Creeks. These works, which comprise approximately 80% of the project, have already commenced.

Part B Works: are designed to provide flood mitigation in the upper Brown Hill Creek catchment.

Read the 2016 SMP(PDF, 7MB)

Background

As a result of the Stormwater Management Agreement between the State Government and the Local Government Association and subsequent amended legislation (Schedule 1A of the Local Government Act), the catchment councils, in 2007, took over responsibility for implementing catchment-wide stormwater management measures.

In 2013 the Stormwater Management Authority (SMA) endorsed the 2012 Stormwater Management Plan (SMP) for the Brown Hill and Keswick Creeks.

The main objective of the 2012 SMP was to mitigate the risk and reduce the impact of major flooding on properties within the BHKC catchment, including in the event of a 1 in 100 year flood.

The 2012 SMP grouped the project works into Part A and Part B.

'Part A' of the Stormwater Management Plan

Part A works are designed to mitigate flooding generated from the mainly urban sub-catchments in lower Brown Hill Creek and Keswick, Glen Osmond and Parklands Creeks. These works comprise approximately 80 per cent of the project and have already commenced. They include:

• Stormwater Detention Basins in the Glenside re-development site and the South Park Lands.
• Brown Hill Creek to Keswick Creek Diversion Channel.
• Brown Hill Creek Channel Upgrade (in West Torrens).
• Ridge Park Detention Basin (Glen Osmond/Urrbrae).

'Part B' of the Stormwater Management Plan

Part B works are designed to provide flood mitigation in the upper Brown Hill Creek catchment.

The 2012 SMP identified a process to investigate and determine Part B based on the councils' preference to pursue a feasible and whole of catchment community supported 'no dam' solution.  A Part B Process Report has been prepared by the BHKC Stormwater Project on the investigations of eight options to manage stormwater flows in the upper Brown Hill Creek Catchment.

The Report identified Option D - 'Creek Capacity Upgrade' - as the preferred option.

Community consultation was undertaken from Wednesday 13 May to Tuesday 23 June, 2015 on the Brown Hill Keswick Creek Stormwater Project's "Part B Report" for upper Brown Hill Creek.

The consultation process included four open days for residents to learn more about proposed works and provide feedback to project staff.

The outcome of the community consultation process was reported to the five catchment councils. Each council determined its position and a final recommendation on Part B works was made to the State Government’s Stormwater Management Authority.

In October 2015 the proposed stormwater management plan to mitigate flood risks across the Brown Hill Keswick Creek catchment was finalised for approval by South Australia’s Stormwater Management Authority following unanimous agreement of the plan amongst the project’s five catchment councils.

In March 2016 the final SMP was submitted to the Stormwater Management Authority and will now be reviewed for approval by the SMA.  

The Brown Hill Keswick Creek Stormwater Project looks forward to working with the State Government and the Stormwater Management Authority to progress the implementation of all the proposed flood mitigation works to significantly reduce the flooding risk to thousands of homes and businesses across metropolitan Adelaide.

The Auditor-General reviewed the project and the report was tabled in Parliament in November 2016.  The report is available in related information below.

 For more information about the project visit www.bhkcstormwater.com.au or call 1800 468 835.