Melbourne Water has released flood mapping for the City of Yarra as part of a project that extends across broader Melbourne.
Melbourne Water reviews flood models every five years and updates them every 10 years. Major flood or significant changes in the catchment will also trigger a review of their flood models.
The maps are regularly updated to reflect increasingly more intense and extreme rainfall events, and severe storms have the potential to result in increased and more frequent flood risk across Melbourne. As our cities become more densely developed, rainwater also flows faster off hard surfaces like concrete, instead of filtering into soils. This can increase flooding along waterways and low-lying land.
The maps show areas predicted to flood, now and in the future, and assist with planning for a changing urban landscape and weather.
What are flood maps?
Flood maps provide information that helps the Victorian Government, councils, emergency services and communities to:
- prepare for floods and minimise their impacts
- ensure new housing is built to withstand floods, and away from high-risk locations, and
- prioritise upgrades to flood infrastructure in high-risk areas.
Flood maps don't create flood risk – they help better understand the risk that Melbourne faces.
How do I get more information?
Melbourne Water's flood mapping for the City of Yarra is part of the Greater Melbourne Flood Information Program, incorporating 12 Local Government Areas.
