Good weather for ducks, and growing grass

Wollongong is in for a wet and stormy end to a great summer! As much as our gardens love the rain, we’re reminding everyone in our community to stay safe by keeping out of the water.

We know that the extra rain has entered our creeks and estuaries which causes them to fill up and overflow. There’s never a good reason to enter flooded areas, and we ask everyone to please stay out of the water.

“Whether a body of water is moving or pooling it is still a hazard and safety risk. No matter how strong a swimmer you may think you are, this sort of water can often hide branches, rubbish, sewerage, bugs, and can change conditions unpredictably,” Wollongong City Council General Manager Greg Doyle said.

“There’s never a good reason to enter the water, and that also means not driving through flooded areas. Over the next week as we continue to experience heavy rainfall, let’s all keep each other safe by staying out of our creeks and estuaries.”

At the same time, our parks and sportsgrounds are holding plenty of extra water and moisture. While we continue to enjoy all the wet weather, we’ve closed all of our sportsgrounds to help give them a chance to recover. Cringila Hills Mountain Bike Park is also closed due to wet trail conditions.

“Whilst our parks are standing up pretty well despite all the rain, we’re asking people to give the fields and parks a bit of a break so that they can dry up and recover. Too much rain makes the ground soggy and play in wet weather can damage the surface,” Mr Doyle said.

“We’re also conscious that we’re experiencing the perfect weather for growing grass, weeds and for the development of potholes. Potholes happen when vehicles drive over a spot that has been weakened by rain seeping into the road pavement.

“The good news is that we’re doing everything we can to respond. As the rain eases, our crews will be out filling any potholes and cutting long grass. We’re sure there will be high demand for our services once the weather clears, so we’ll be prioritising jobs based on a needs basis.

“We thank our community for their understanding and patience as we meet the extra challenges lots of wet weather brings.”

If you see a pothole on a Council road let us know so we can task one of our crews. It’s easy to report – just fill out an online form or give our Customer Service Team a call on (02) 4227 7111.