After a long history of flooding, metropolitan Adelaide is getting an upgrade. The Brown Hill Keswick Creek Stormwater Project (the Project) is designed to safeguard properties in the area against a major flood event. 

Lower Brown Hill Creek is a 3.3 km long section of channel that runs between homes and significant infrastructure, including Ashford Hospital, Anzac Highway and Adelaide Airport. The creek provides critical drainage for this area, but the network has a low level of flood protection and a long history of flooding. 

Before the Project began, almost 4,000 properties in the catchment could be flood affected in a significant flood event. These events also have the potential to cause $418.5 million worth of damage. Once the Project is complete, the number of flood- affected properties during significant events will reduce by 98.4%. Potential damage costs are estimated to be reduced to $7.5 million. 

Councils collaborate to tackle flood risk 

The Cities of Adelaide, Burnside, Mitcham, Unley and West Torrens worked together to develop the Stormwater Management Plan to reduce serious flood risk across the Brown Hill Keswick Creek catchment.

I'm really pleased to have been able to work together with our four neighbouring councils to bring a project together that will not only protect West Torrens homes adjacent to the Adelaide Airport and in the surrounding area, but also other homes upstream,’ said Michael Coxon, Mayor, City of West Torrens.

‘We have engaged with the state government and now most importantly, we have been able to access federal government funding to bring this project forward in a timeframe that would not be otherwise achieved.’ 

The Project will be delivered in four stages and is scheduled for completion by 2036. 

Stage 1 of the Project is already complete and stages 2 and 4, upgrading the capacity of lower and upper Brown Hill Creek, are underway with $55 million of works completed to date. The Lower Brown Hill Creek project has received Commonwealth funding under the ‘Preparing Australian Communities Program – Local'. 

Government funding secured for critical flood protection 

The Preparing Australian Communities Program – Local funding has allowed for the acceleration of works across the catchment. The funding brings us one step closer to whole of catchment flood protection, reducing the impact of major as well as smaller flow events. This is critical to ensuring protection to thousands of homes along with critical services and infrastructure such as Ashford Hospital, Adelaide Airport, emergency services and transport networks including road and rail. It also means small businesses can keep operating. 

The Upper Brown Hill Creek component of the project has also received federal funding through Rounds One and Two of the Disaster Ready Fund. 

‘This is a prime example of the three tiers of government coming together to provide those flood protection benefits in an accelerated fashion and working collaboratively to achieve key project outcomes,’ Peta Mantzarapis, Project Director, Brown Hill Keswick Creek Storm Water Project. 

Learn more about the Project and it’s progress at https://bhkcstormwater.com.au/