Flood information

Content: Section 149 Certificates | Flood information report | Catchments | Flood classifications

Wollongong City Council has extensive knowledge of flood levels from flood records and also from catchment flood studies in the areas. You can request the property’s 149 certificates (2&5), request a flood information report or visit our strategies page where you can view our flood risk precinct maps from the completed studies.

Section 149 Certificates
Part 2 of the certificate will advise whether Council has an adopted policy which affects the land in relation to a number of risks including flooding.

Part 5 of the certificate will provide more detailed flood information including whether Council suspects the property to be flood hazard affected or not flood hazard affected.

Note: although we may not suspect there is a flood problem this does not guarantee that the property has not been affected by flooding in the past or will not be flood affected in the future. If you are buying a property, legislation only requires that a certificate under section 149(2), which is the short version, be attached to the contract documentation. However many real estate agents, or solicitors, will include part 5, the more detailed version.

Flood information report
Council has historical flood records or completed flood studies for some properties. Please contact our Design Division prior to requesting this information to ensure that it is available as Council does not have such information for every property.

Complete the Flood enquiry form and send to Council with the applicable fee. Alternatively, this form can be completed at Council’s Customer Service Centre. Please allow approximately 10 working days for this information to be sent to you.

Note: The flood levels should be compared to surveyed ground and floor levels of the property and then interpreted by a suitably qualified engineer to determine the extent of flooding on the property.

Catchments
Bounded by the escarpment, the City of Wollongong has eight major catchments, all of which contain creeks of various sizes. To find out what catchment you live, view the catchment maps on the right.

Flood classifications
Properties in the floodplains can be classified according to their levels of potential flood risk. The risk precinct will help determine what types of development and land uses are permissible on a property.

• High Flood Risk Precinct: Land which is subject to a high hydraulic hazard (the hazard arising from the depth and velocity of storm water) in a 100 year flood event plus all land within a 10m corridor from the top of a creek bank. This could mean that there would be a possible danger to personal safety, able bodied adults may have difficulty wading to safety, evacuation by trucks may be difficult, or there may be a potential for significant structural damage to buildings. This is an area of higher hazard where stricter controls may be applied. 
• Medium Flood Risk Precinct: Your property can be inundated with a 100 year flood, however conditions are not likely to be hazardous. There is a significant risk of flood damage, but this can be minimised by applying appropriate development controls. 
• Low Flood Risk Precinct: Your property would not be inundated with a 100 year flood but still has a very slight chance of inundation from larger and rarer floods - the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF). If you are a residential property owner, there will be virtually no change to how you may develop your property. However, there may be controls on the location of essential services such as hospitals, evacuation centres, nursing homes and emergency services within the precinct.