OSCA Inc Community Program
Donation protected
IT IS TIME TO LET THE FLOOD WATERS GET OUT
The Ocean Shores Community Association Inc. (OSCA) has researched and documented the human-made changes to the coastal floodplain from Wooyung Creek to the Brunswick River from 1887 to the current day. Most severely impacted is the wild river, Marshall’s Creek – the North Arm of the Brunswick River - and its estuary. This system bringing water from the hills and valleys of Main Arm, The Pocket and Middle Pocket as well as Wooyung and Yelgun with their creeks has been gradually compromised over the past fifty years with floodwaters unable to escape into the ocean.
Creeks meant to overflow in flood through sand dunes to the ocean have been blocked for fifty years by a road. Instead, floodwaters have formed swamplands. The entrance of Marshall’s Creek to the Brunswick River, which is 400 meters wide is now reduced to 30 meters by a high rock wall. Marshall’s Creek in flood can no longer clean out the sand in the bed of the Brunswick River on its way to the mouth and the ocean. A flood overflow to the ocean, part of the consent for the Capricornia Canal was blocked in 1976 by order of Byron Council which accepted responsibility if this caused flooding. Waters of the Canal now flow backwards and forwards unable to escape.
Official human interference has constructed walls, roads, blockages, creek redirections, levees, pipelines, pumps, gutters etc. This has resulted in a river system incapable of taking care of itself. This is not how rivers work. The result is a sluggish slow moving silted up shallow dirty environment with nowhere for water to escape. Mangroves are now the dominant vegetation where they never existed before.
Our community organization OSCA aims to protect & promote the interests of the residents of greater Ocean Shores; including Billinudgel, South Golden Beach, Fern Beach and New Brighton. Recently, we were subjected to 2022 Flood 1 (one in a five hundred year event of rain across the Northern Rivers on Monday 28 February) and 2022 Flood 2 (Sunday 27 March of lesser impact but causing great anxiety). Unbelievably these two events, only one month apart resulted in unprecedented flooding and inundation of homes, destroying vehicles, walls, furniture, home items and clothing leaving many homeless or facing huge restoration costs.
In the Ocean Shores area the flood bowl can be opened. It is time serious mitigation of the blockages to flood flow was carried out. As a first step, OSCA has sent a request to Byron Council requesting the floodwaters build up in the Capricornia Canal to be released. This means removal of the earthworks stopping the release to the ocean of floodwaters via the flood overflow structure. This flood overflow structure was a consent condition for the Canal. It was ordered closed by the Council. Refer to our website for more detail. OSCA calls for community organisations, residents, Byron Council and State government agencies and politicians to work together to achieve a flood free environment in our district.
OSCA is preparing professional media material including a short video to inform our local public and relevant government and council authorities of the anger in our community about lack of flood mitigation in our district. Our Ocean Shores and district residents are no longer prepared to be told there is nothing that can be done, and the requests made by the community in the post 2017 flood council community survey should be ignored. Council’s flood strategy and plan does not address the requests of the community to open up the floodwater blockages so they can escape to the ocean.
The video and media material will cost about $10 000 to make a professional production. As well if necessary OSCA is prepared to engage independent consultants to argue the community’s case for a flood free environment.
Please support this GoFundMe request and help us to effectively fight to stop the flooding. It is time to let the waters get out.
Timeline of Events
For more information about our research and data collection please access our website at: http://brunswickvalley.com.au/flood-history/current_updates.htm
Notice of Motion 9.4 (May 25, 2017 Byron Council)
Additional information about the flood issue which has been lodged with Byron Shire Council can be accessed at http://brunswickvalley.com.au/raft/index.htm
Thanking you in advance for your ongoing support to stop the flooding.
Jan Mangleson
President OSCA Inc.
Registration: Inc. Y1833127
ABN: 81 081 151 216
The Ocean Shores Community Association Inc. (OSCA) has researched and documented the human-made changes to the coastal floodplain from Wooyung Creek to the Brunswick River from 1887 to the current day. Most severely impacted is the wild river, Marshall’s Creek – the North Arm of the Brunswick River - and its estuary. This system bringing water from the hills and valleys of Main Arm, The Pocket and Middle Pocket as well as Wooyung and Yelgun with their creeks has been gradually compromised over the past fifty years with floodwaters unable to escape into the ocean.
Creeks meant to overflow in flood through sand dunes to the ocean have been blocked for fifty years by a road. Instead, floodwaters have formed swamplands. The entrance of Marshall’s Creek to the Brunswick River, which is 400 meters wide is now reduced to 30 meters by a high rock wall. Marshall’s Creek in flood can no longer clean out the sand in the bed of the Brunswick River on its way to the mouth and the ocean. A flood overflow to the ocean, part of the consent for the Capricornia Canal was blocked in 1976 by order of Byron Council which accepted responsibility if this caused flooding. Waters of the Canal now flow backwards and forwards unable to escape.
Official human interference has constructed walls, roads, blockages, creek redirections, levees, pipelines, pumps, gutters etc. This has resulted in a river system incapable of taking care of itself. This is not how rivers work. The result is a sluggish slow moving silted up shallow dirty environment with nowhere for water to escape. Mangroves are now the dominant vegetation where they never existed before.
Our community organization OSCA aims to protect & promote the interests of the residents of greater Ocean Shores; including Billinudgel, South Golden Beach, Fern Beach and New Brighton. Recently, we were subjected to 2022 Flood 1 (one in a five hundred year event of rain across the Northern Rivers on Monday 28 February) and 2022 Flood 2 (Sunday 27 March of lesser impact but causing great anxiety). Unbelievably these two events, only one month apart resulted in unprecedented flooding and inundation of homes, destroying vehicles, walls, furniture, home items and clothing leaving many homeless or facing huge restoration costs.
In the Ocean Shores area the flood bowl can be opened. It is time serious mitigation of the blockages to flood flow was carried out. As a first step, OSCA has sent a request to Byron Council requesting the floodwaters build up in the Capricornia Canal to be released. This means removal of the earthworks stopping the release to the ocean of floodwaters via the flood overflow structure. This flood overflow structure was a consent condition for the Canal. It was ordered closed by the Council. Refer to our website for more detail. OSCA calls for community organisations, residents, Byron Council and State government agencies and politicians to work together to achieve a flood free environment in our district.
OSCA is preparing professional media material including a short video to inform our local public and relevant government and council authorities of the anger in our community about lack of flood mitigation in our district. Our Ocean Shores and district residents are no longer prepared to be told there is nothing that can be done, and the requests made by the community in the post 2017 flood council community survey should be ignored. Council’s flood strategy and plan does not address the requests of the community to open up the floodwater blockages so they can escape to the ocean.
The video and media material will cost about $10 000 to make a professional production. As well if necessary OSCA is prepared to engage independent consultants to argue the community’s case for a flood free environment.
Please support this GoFundMe request and help us to effectively fight to stop the flooding. It is time to let the waters get out.
Timeline of Events
For more information about our research and data collection please access our website at: http://brunswickvalley.com.au/flood-history/current_updates.htm
Notice of Motion 9.4 (May 25, 2017 Byron Council)
Additional information about the flood issue which has been lodged with Byron Shire Council can be accessed at http://brunswickvalley.com.au/raft/index.htm
Thanking you in advance for your ongoing support to stop the flooding.
Jan Mangleson
President OSCA Inc.
Registration: Inc. Y1833127
ABN: 81 081 151 216
Organizer and beneficiary
Mark - Community Co ordinator
Organizer
Billinudgel, NSW
Jan Mangleson
Beneficiary