Time to fix creek 'disaster': Residents seething as silt piles up

A group of concerned Huon Creek Road residents have called on Wodonga Council and North East Catchment Management Authority to address the blocked up creek, which has caused flooding issues at their homes and driven away native wildlife.

Graeme Ware labelled the creek a "disaster" and said the once permanent water holes had essentially been reduced to puddles.

The Huon Park estate, further west on Huon Creek Road, was first developed in 2014 and Connaught Estate, opposite Mr Ware's property, received approval in December 2021.

"Those who should care, don't. We have been to the council, we've been to the North East Catchment Management Authority and nothing has been done about Huon Creek," he said.

"It's continued to get worse because we've still had silt coming downstream.

"Even if they stopped all the works over there today and did nothing more, Huon Creek would still be stuffed. They've wrecked what was a great natural environmental waterway.

"We had platypuses and fish and frogs and everything that used to survive around that permanent water that is no longer there. If you dig a hole in the sand, you can still find water, but there's no certainly no surface water.

"To fix Huon Creek is not an inexpensive task because they didn't manage anything and they've now let it get to the point where it's like this. It isn't just here, it goes downstream for well over a kilometre."

Wodonga Council director planning, development and infrastructure Leon Schultz said the clearing of creek lines was a matter governed by NECMA, whose permit conditions direct what type of work can be undertaken.

"After an assessment of the site, minor desilting and drain inlet clearing works were undertaken per NECMA's instruction," he said.

"Some of these maintenance works will reoccur due to wet weather and strong growing conditions. The council remains in consultation with NECMA - which imposes specific permit conditions to reduce the risk of adverse flow-on effects of works - regarding continued desilting works."

Mr Schultz said council officers had visited the Connaught Estate site, also known as lot 33 Castle Creek Road, in early February and said developers had increased sediment control through the addition of straw bales and silt fencing.

"The construction of the sediment basement is scheduled to commence as soon as possible, pending machinery availability," he said.

"The maintenance of drainage pipes, pits and table drains falls under the purview of the council but, where land is privately owned, the council is limited in the clearing works it can undertake."

Fellow Huon Creek Road resident Bob Moodie said silt reduction was well below par and wouldn't make a huge difference.

"They've thrown a few hay bales along the fence. There's no silt traps or fencing, they should have been the first things put in place," he said.

"This isn't the cause, it's the effect. It's about stopping the silt in the catchment, which is what we're trying to do."

The Huon Creek catchment is managed by a mixture of private landholders and Wodonga Council, with support of "Friends of" groups.

The unregulated stream system has no significant water storage, with the amount of run-off and flow determined by the surrounding catchment and land management influences.

NECMA said it supported partnership projects between the Wodonga Urban Landcare Network and Wodonga Council to implement the Wodonga Regional Waterway Action Plan.

"Priorities for works in the Wodonga area are guided by the Wodonga Regional Waterway Action Plan. This requires a partnership approach between many stakeholders," a NECMA statement read.

"North East CMA will continue to support Landcare and Wodonga Council in identifying the best options for waterway management in consultation with the catchment community."