Residents and business owners in south Wollongong want the council to take action after they were subjected to more flooding this week.
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Robert and Denise Summers' house at the corner of Kembla and Swan streets was inundated for the third time since 2012 and they said this occasion was the worst they had experienced.
They said vegetation in the Gurungaty Waterway running from the golf course to JJ Kelly Park had contributed to the problem, but the council had told them the reeds were not an issue.
The couple had lived in their home since 1981, Mrs Summers said but had not experienced problems with flooding until the Links Seaside development was constructed.
This was echoed by James Hogg, the co-owner of Swan Street business IOH, which was also flooded this week.
Mr Hogg said the development of the golf course had also resulted in more water flowing into the waterway.
He also said he had battled with council over who was responsible for clearing out vegetation.
"It's just upsetting that the council keeps throwing us under the bus," he said.
Engineer Ian Young has investigated the issue for several years and after reviewing data from flooding events, he sent a report to the council in which he said vegetation growth in the waterway restricted flow and silt build-up had reduced the size of a channel running to the Springhill Road culvert.
He said Links Seaside aged care development had also disrupted the connectivity of waterways and told the Mercury that major changes to Wollongong Golf Course had removed a flood bypass route into Tom Thumb Lagoon.
But a Wollongong City Council spokesperson said the council's investigations found there would be "minimal benefit" to removing vegetation, because the waterway was influenced by tides and other waterways.
The section of the creek between Swan and Corrimal streets was also in private hands, they said, and maintenance was the responsibility of the property owners.
"Council is committed to our ongoing work to ensure pipes and culverts are clear to provide the best opportunity for drainage when the downstream conditions - including high tides - permit," the spokesperson said.
They said the potential for flood impacts was taken into account in the approvals processes for the development of the golf course and the Links Seaside.
A 2019 flood study also looked at the impact of developments, the spokesperson said, and found these had no effect on flooding in the area.
They said the council continued to research the behaviour of the water in the area and had a consultant reviewing the Wollongong City Flood Study and the Wollongong City (Gurungaty Waterway) Catchment Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan "to see if any new knowledge can be applied to these documents".
They said this review included options for managing the flood risk, such as projects to modify flood behaviour and development controls.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
