Elster Creek Catchment Flood Management Plan

Melbourne Water is working in partnership with the cities of Bayside, Glen Eira, Kingston and Port Phillip to take a holistic approach to reducing flood risk in Elster Creek Catchment, collaboratively implementing the Elster Creek Catchment Flood Management Plan 2019-24.

Catchment map, showing majority of catchment within the City of Glen Eira but extending in to the councils of Port Phillip (north west), Bayside (south) and Kingston (south east) — Located in Melbourne’s inner southeast, Elster Creek catchment collects run-off from the City of Glen Eira and parts of the cities of Bayside and Kingston, draining to Port Phillip Bay at Elwood (City of Port Phillip). Download map (PDF, 4.48MB)

Why this is important

The Elster Creek Catchment has always been prone to flooding. Climate change and increasing urban development will add to these challenges, with more severe and frequent storms and more hard surfaces like roofs and roads generating more stormwater runoff.

Despite our efforts to minimise flooding, it cannot be completely eliminated. The plan therefore contains a range of interventions to reduce flood risk, including building community understanding and preparedness.

Plan overview

The Elster Creek Catchment Flood Management Plan outlines a five-year program of works that builds on previous investments to reduce flood risks across the catchment.

It was developed in close consultation with councils and the local community, focusing on three key areas to ensure a holistic approach to flood planning in the catchment:

implementing on-ground solutions that minimise flooding and its impact on the community
influencing development across the catchment to minimise run-off and reduce flood risk
ensuring the community is informed, actively engaged and understands the challenges of managing flooding in the catchment and what is being done about it.

Project partners are committed to cooperating across council boundaries to implement the plan, and working with water utility companies, the Victorian Government and the community.

Download the full Flood Management Plan and the partner memorandum of understanding:

Elster Creek Catchment Flood Management Plan5.3 MB (PDF)

Elster Creek Catchment memorandum of understanding, April 2020173.44 KB (PDF)

What’s happening and when

View the latest progress on actions within the plan, grouped by focus area, and stay informed of opportunities to get involved.

Plan implementation status

One catchment, many solutions

Action	Delivery	Lead agency	Traffic light status
Plan to incorporate increased flood mitigation within Elsternwick Park precinct in conjunction with development of Elsternwick Park Nature Reserve.	Jul ‘19 – Dec ‘22	Bayside City Council & Melbourne Water	In progress; on track (80% complete) Developing business case for preferred option (diversion drain duplication)
Seek opportunities to identify new or expanded physical works (including retarding basins) on public land across the catchment. Develop an implementation plan for identified projects.	Jul ‘19 – Jun ‘24	Melbourne Water & Glen Eira City Council	In progress; on track (20% complete)
Incorporate flood mitigation into all council and Melbourne Water capital projects within the catchment where feasible.	Jul ‘22 – Jun ‘24	Local Government	In progress; on track (5% complete)
Undertake research on suitable permeable surfaces for the Elster Creek Catchment and develop a tool which can be used to measure and compare permeable treatments.	Jul ‘19 – Jun ‘20	City of Port Phillip	Complete
Investigate incentives or funding mechanisms for landholders to reduce impacts on local catchments by reducing runoff and increasing permeability.	Jul ‘20 – Jun ‘22	Melbourne Water	In progress; on track (30% complete)
Develop and implement a strategic advocacy approach to the Victorian Government and other organisations to: Prioritise flood mitigation in the development of strategic sites and urban renewal areas Encourage schools (public and private) to install water recycling infrastructure Encourage schools (public and private) to include flood mitigation within school open space.	Jul ‘19 – Jun ‘24	City of Port Phillip & City of Glen Eira	In progress; on track (5% complete) Consolidated strategic advocacy approach being developed

Land use planning

Action	Delivery	Lead agency	Traffic light status
Seek authorisation from the Minister for Planning to prepare a planning scheme amendment to update the extent of the Special Building Overlay (SBO) to reflect more recent flood mapping data within Glen Eira.	Jul ‘19 – Jun ‘21	Melbourne Water & Glen Eira Council	In progress; at risk (80% complete) Minor delays in mapping; lodgment expected soon
Establish a flood baseline and set flood risk reduction targets within the Elster Creek Catchment.	Jul ‘20 – Jun ‘22	Glen Eira City Council	In progress; on track (20% complete)
Establish a catchment baseline for permeability and set targets to increase permeability in both the private and public realm. Include consideration of future development into permeability target setting.	Jul ‘20 – Jun ‘22	Glen Eira City Council	In progress; on track (20% complete) Developing in parallel to the above action
Consider options for implementing an offset trading scheme across the Elster Creek Catchment where funds can be collected from developers to fund drainage infrastructure works in another location.	Jul ‘22 – Jun ‘24	Glen Eira City Council	N/A
Investigate the development of a Catchment-wide Development Contributions Plan Overlay into the planning scheme for each of the four councils.	Jul ‘22 – Jun ‘24	Glen Eira City Council	N/A
Share information and build capacity of council staff to effectively and consistently implement the Victorian Planning Provisions for Stormwater Management in Urban Development (Clause 53.18).	Jul ‘19 – Jun ‘24	City of Port Phillip	In progress; on track (50% complete) Training delivered; exploring opps for more local knowledge sharing

Informed and well-prepared communities

Action	Delivery	Lead agency	Traffic light status
Develop a Communications and Engagement Plan that addresses the following: Builds community awareness about the catchment and flood overlays Builds community preparedness for flooding Links with Emergency Management to educate the community about how to respond in times of flood Educates the community on changes they can make to their properties to increase resilience to flooding Demonstrates the funding commitment from project partners Uses simple, plain English and real world relatable examples Is delivered in a way that reaches different sections of the community (renters, owners, businesses, etc.) Annual awareness campaign targeted at wider community about flood risk and vulnerability	Jul ‘19 – Dec ‘19	City of Port Phillip	Complete FINAL Communications Plan
Coordinate delivery of the Communications and Education Plan	Jan ‘20 – Jun ‘24	City of Port Phillip	In progress; on track (20% complete) Implement 2021 actions
Include collaboration on education and communications programs with key stakeholders and community champions in the Communications and Education Plan (above action), including: Port Phillip EcoCentre State Emergency Service South East Water	Jul ‘19 –Dec ‘19	City of Port Phillip	Complete Transitioned to an ongoing action in Communications and Education Plan
Review form and function of the Community Reference Group including membership, purpose and meeting frequency.	Jul ‘19 – Dec ‘19	Melbourne Water	Complete
Development of a pilot program that provides a tailored approach to flood awareness, education and response (with potential higher levels of services) based on sub-catchment flood risk profiles.	Jul ‘19 – Jun ‘20	Melbourne Water	Complete To evolve approach based on learnings from 2020
Work with Emergency Management Victoria, State Emergency Services, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and the Bureau of Meteorology to improve coordination and response to major flood events, including: Scenario planning and alignment of Municipal Emergency Management Plans Communications after flood events A mechanism (such as a mobile app) for impacted communities to update flood impacts during and post flood.	Jul ‘19 – Jun ‘24	Melbourne Water	In progress; on track (20% complete)
Develop an online resource for residents and businesses to find information related to flood risk, how to prepare and what they can do to make their homes more flood resilient.	Jul ‘20 – Nov ‘21	Melbourne Water	In progress; on track (80% complete)
Investigate and invest in partnerships with the insurance industry. Advocate to the insurance industry to share information with the community and to reduce insurance premiums for properties that are more resilient to flood impacts.	Jul ‘19 – Jun ‘24	Kingston City Council	In progress; on track (50% complete)