A YEAR after floods swept through Perthville and Georges Plains works will finally commence to help protect residents and their properties.
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Two floods in two weeks in mid 2016 left Perthville residents Lorraine and John Fischbeck angry that promised levee banks still had not been completed.
In August last year the couple, who have lived in their North Street property for the past 19 years, told the Western Advocate they were sick of being flooded.
“It’s just so frustrating, they’ve [council] got the funds to build it [a levee] but they spent it on sporting facilities,” Mr Fischbeck said at the time.
Mrs Fischbeck said during one flood: “It came into the kitchen this time and was lapping under the floorboards in the main part of the house. We could see and hear it.”
During the 2016 floods, dozens of State Emergency Service and NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers were called to the villages to help sandbag homes and businesses to help protect them from the rising waters.
But, on Monday Bathurst Regional Council will commence the $4 million works project.
Bridge Street at Perthville will be closed for around six weeks for the first phase of flood mitigation works.
A council spokeswoman said the project aims to lessen the impact of potential flooding in the area.
“[It] will be conducted in two phases totalling approximately $4 million,” she said.
“Stage one involves the deepening and widening of Queen Charlotte’s Vale Creek for approximately 1.5 kilometres and the installation of the box culverts to the east of Bridge Street.”
During this time, alternate access for motorists will be available through the recently sealed O’Regans Lane and Lagoon Road.
Temporary pedestrian access will be available across Queen Charlotte’s Vale Creek, however cannot be guaranteed.
“The second phase will see more than one kilometre of levee constructed to protect properties on the eastern side of Queen Charlotte’s Vale Creek,” the spokeswoman said.
“The upgrades add to the network of more than 10 kilometres that has been constructed in recent years.”