As the early storm clouds gather, bearing warning of another wet season’s arrival, the Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment is stepping up essential work preparing the storm drains around Darwin.

Next week cleaning and clearing up work will begin along Ludmilla Creek, restoring the storm water drain to its 1974 layout.

Around 7500 cubic metres of accumulated soil and debris will be removed as part of the operation, which will reduce the risk of flooding for residents in The Narrows and Ludmilla Primary School.  

Graeme Finch from the DLPE says those areas have been very vulnerable to flooding during relatively small rain fall events.

“It doesn’t take a lot of rain before those residents start to have flood problems, clearing out the storm water drain in Ludmilla Creek is a major step in reducing the potential flood risk.”

Mr Finch says making the entire storm water network operate effectively means working on the entire network.

“We have already completed extensive storm drain clearing operations to the west of Bagot Road, which means they will drain more water and deliver it to Ludmilla Creek.”

He says that when completed the clearing work on the storm water drain in Ludmilla Creek will allow incoming storm water, freely flowing from recently cleared upstream drains, to  develop enough ‘head pressure’ and carry accumulated storm water all the way to the sea.

While the Ludmilla Creek area has been zoned for conservation, an exemption has been approved by the Minister for this essential work to commence prior to the next wet season.

The Department of Land, Planning and the Environment has been working closely with the local community to address their concerns during this project which will include construction of an access road, removal of 7500 cubic metres of sediment which has built up in the drain as well as clearing mangroves within the drain and establishing a haul road adjacent to the storm water drain.

For further information please contact:

DLPE Media on 0437 868 115