Flooding occurs when there are large volumes of rainfall. In river systems it may take several hours or even days for flood water to rise and break its banks. Along creeks or overland flow paths, which have relatively small catchments, this happens more quickly and is often referred to as flash flooding.

Other factors that can contribute to flooding are the topography of an area, soil conditions and impervious ground cover (e.g. concrete). Urbanised areas typically have more impervious areas – footpaths, roads, driveways - which increase the volume and velocity of water flowing downstream during large storms. 

Flooding can cause significant damage to property and risk to life. It may also result in the loss of valuables and disruption to essential services. Flood waters can become dangerous at relatively low depths:

• an average sized person can be knocked over by as little as 150mm of moving water, and
• a large car can float away in 600mm of moving water. 

A significant storm event which caused flooding and damage in the inner west occurred on 22 February 2022. This was approximately a two to five year, 30 minute flood event in the study area.

Visit the State Emergency Service www.floodsafe.com.au to get advice on simple things you can do to prepare for a flood.

Prospective buyers are able to find out if a property is flood affected because Council has a duty to disclose this information. If you are concerned that the flood classification may affect the value of your property you should seek valuation advice.

In 2016, Inner West Council studied a range of storm events in the Whites Creek and Johnston Creek Flood Study, which was adopted by Council in May 2017. The study identified a number of areas which are likely to experience flooding. These areas are concentrated around the creeks itself as well as a number of overland flow paths.

A flood study is a comprehensive investigation of flood behaviour within a catchment. It provides detailed information about the nature of flood risk including the distribution, extent, depths, levels and velocity of floodwaters for a range of storm events, including a 100 year flood.

A 100 year flood event is a flood that will occur on average once every 100 years. There is a 1% probability of it occurring in any given year. However, if an area has had a 100 year flood, it doesn’t mean that it would be another 99 years before the next one happens. For example, the last time the Brisbane River flooded before the 2011 disaster was in 1974. These were both 100 year events.

Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) is usually expressed as a percentage and is the chance of a storm of a given intensity and duration happening at least once in any year. A 1% AEP flood event is a 100 year flood event and is used as the flood standard for residential development controls.

Flooding costs owners, residents and local government a lot of money. People affected by floods can also suffer significant distress and hardship.

The flood study is the first stage of an overall floodplain management plan for the catchment. The plan will identify ways of managing flood risk which may include:

• controls on development
• helping people at risk (e.g. flood warning systems) and
• changing behaviour of the flood itself (e.g. upgrade of stormwater systems)

The 2017 Flood study was the first step towards identifying flooding in the Whites Creek and Johnston Creek catchment. This next stage of the process is developing a flood risk management plan which Council is currently working on.

Properties flooded in a 1% AEP storm event, where more than 10% of the property area is inundated and the flood depth is greater than 0.15 metres, are initially identified as being flood affected.

Each property is then reviewed to determine if it is either:

• Exposed to water depths generally in excess of 0.3 metres in or adjacent to the property, as this may be dangerous, cause property damage or both; and/or
• Located in the floodplain of an original watercourse (which may now be piped, channelised or diverted), or sloping areas where overland flows develop along alternative paths once the capacity of the stormwater system is exceeded; and/or
• Located in a major overland flow path through developed areas outside of defined drainage reserves.

This process ensures that only those properties which are subjected to a genuine flood risk are identified.

For more information please refer to Council's Policy For Identifying Properties Subject to Flood Related Development Controls

The inner west has some of Sydney’s oldest suburbs and architectural styles including terraced houses which were built in the 19^th century.  In the past, development occurred without much consideration of flooding because there were no flood records and little was known about flood behaviour. While the lowest lying land was kept clear of development, there was little understanding of how much water could flow through the catchment in rarer, more severe storms. It is only in the last generation that the rainfall data and computer technology has been available to better understand and calculate this.

Yes. Lack of evidence of historical flooding does not necessarily mean an area is not prone to flooding. If you live close to a creek, river, stormwater drain or in a low-lying area, you may be at risk of flooding even if you have not personally experienced it. Flooding can also occur on the sides of hills if the shape of the landscape concentrates overland flows on the way to the drainage network.

Properties affected by flooding can, in most instances, be developed providing acceptable risk management criteria are demonstrated and applied. The planning controls applicable to a flood affected property are specific to the proposed land use, the floodplain and the extent of flooding on your property. You will need to obtain and use this information when preparing a development application for your property.

Council is not in a position to advise you on this matter. The methods and information used by insurance companies to set their policies varies between individual companies. You will need to speak to your insurer to find out how this will affect your premium.

Stormwater pipes are designed to take water away from dwellings and manage small flood events. In a large flood event (e.g. a 100 year flood), it is likely that the capacity of these stormwater pits and pipes will be exceeded. The Flood Study and Draft Report show where this additional water is likely to go.

The maps highlight which property blocks will be affected. Even if a small portion of the property is affected, the whole property will be identified. Development controls are applied to a whole property, regardless of the extent of the flood.

A floodplain risk management plans analyses flood behaviour and identifies and prioritises options to help protect people and property through better planning, emergency management and infrastructure works. 

Stantec is a specialist engineering consultancy with expertise in floodplain management.

Expert consultants create a computer-generated model of the area. The model shows the impact of storm events ranging from heavy rainfall to the most extreme flood.

This includes:

• where the water will run
• how the existing drainage system will cope
• whether property damage is likely to occur

Council’s consultants, Stantec, will use the photos, video and information provided by residents to test the model developed and verify its accuracy.

The Local Government areas that cover the Whites Creek and Johnston Creek catchments are City of Sydney and the former Marrickville and Leichardt Councils, included the suburbs of Enmore, Newtown, Stanmore, Camperdown, Petersham, Lewisham and Annandale.

The Whites Creek study area includes west of Johnson Street Annadale, east of Norton Street Leichardt, Lilyfield and west of Percival Rd Stanmore.

The Johnstons Creek study area includes east of Johnson Street Annandale, Camperdown, north of Enmore Road Enmore and east of Percival Rd Stanmore.

Information, photos and videos from residents will be used to test the model developed in the earlier studies and verify its accuracy

A range of options for managing floods will be investigated through the development of the plan. There are three main ways of managing flood risk:

• controls on development

• helping people at risk (e.g. flood warning systems)

• changing the behaviour of the flood itself (e.g. upgrade of stormwater systems).

Each option will be evaluated by how much it:

• reduces flood risk and losses

• costs to implement

• benefits or impacts society and the environment.

Options identified through the plan will be prioritised and implemented accordingly. Construction of flood management options is likely to begin from mid-2025. Depending on what the options are, they may need external funding to implement, such as through state government grants.

Yes, Council is progressively completing flood management plans across the local government area. The progress of the flood planning process for each catchment in the local government area is outlined below: