General News
15 April, 2026
Flood studies underway
FLOOD studies are currently underway across several catchments in the Corangamite region to improve understanding of flood behaviour and help communities, councils and emergency services better manage flood risk.
A flood study assesses how likely flooding is to occur, how often floods of different sizes happen and what impacts they may have on communities, infrastructure and the environment.
This information is essential for emergency management planning, land-use planning and ensuring future development occurs safely in flood-prone areas.
Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CMA), local councils, Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) and the Victorian Government work closely with specialist hydrological engineers to deliver these studies.
Community input plays a vital role, with local knowledge helping ensure flood modelling reflects real-life conditions on the ground.
Flood studies help identify where floodwaters may travel, how deep floodwaters could be and how flood risks may change into the future as rain events become more intense due to climate change.
Floodplains are dynamic, so flood studies are updated periodically to respond to changes over time, including river channel migration, land use, population growth and evolving climate change predictions.
Several priority flood studies are currently in progress across the region, providing up to date flood information to guide improvements to flood resilience for these areas.
This includes a study of the Curdies catchment from Purrumbete to Peterborough, excluding the Scotts Creek and Cooriemungle Creek catchments.
The primary outputs of a flood study are flood maps which predict flood extend and hazards including flood depth and velocities across floodplains, recommendations for planning controls to support development and infrastructure on the floodplain appropriate to the corresponding flood hazard and mitigation options and long-term strategies to reduce flood risk and build community resilience.
“As the designated floodplain management authority, Corangamite CMA provides statutory flood advice to councils to guide safe and informed development decisions,” Corangamite CMA floodplains project officer Rachel Limb said.
“We also provide advice to individual community members to help them understand their flood risk.
“Flood studies provide the technical data, including where flood waters are likely to reach and how deep and fast the water will move, that enable us to provide as accurate floodplain management advice as possible.”
All flood mapping data can be accessed on Digital Twin Victoria, the authoritative and comprehensive digital model of the state, and Vic Plan, the state-wide digital map.
For further information, communities can also contact Corangamite CMA at info@ccma.vic.gov.au.