The Gawler River flows in a westerly direction across the Northern Adelaide Plains, one of Australia’s premier food production regions. As the river passes through the region flooding occurs on a regular basis as the existing levees are generally in a poor state of repair and prone to failure during major floods.
In response to regular flooding and its impact on the local communities, the Gawler River Floodplain Management Authority (GRFMA) was formed in 2002 as a Regional Subsidiary under Section 43 and Schedule 2 of the Local Government Act 1999, principally to manage the implementation of strategy to mitigate flooding.
The City of Playford and the Stretton have been tasked to assist the working party and GRFMA Executive Officer with an Advocacy Framework and action plan to secure the implementation of the Northern Floodway Project.
The six Constituents Councils of the GRFMA are:
- Adelaide Hills Council;
- The Barossa Council;
- Town of Gawler;
- Light Regional Council;
- Adelaide Plains Council; and
- City of Playford.
There are three primary goals of the GRFMA:
- Immediate and long-term levee improvements and ongoing maintenance;
- River channel works, including strategic sediment and vegetation removal and revegetation, and ongoing maintenance; and
- A new levee and floodway system downstream of Old Port Wakefield Road to contain floodwaters within a defined floodway system on the northern side of the river.