Goulburn Mulwaree Council counts cost for rain Disaster Assistance

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded some 70mm at Goulburn Airport on Thursday and Friday. It triggered widespread road closures, some of which continued into Monday, and damage to roads and other infrastructure.

A council spokesman said initial assessment put the damage at about $5 million. Goulburn Mulwaree was one of 10 additional areas declared eligible for the joint state and federally funded Disaster Assistance on Sunday.

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Council staff worked across the weekend to re-open roads and undertake preliminary repairs

"The main impacts of flooding were across the southern and eastern area of our LGA, and damage has been observed on Canyonleigh Road, Windellama Road, Bungonia Road, Sandy Point Road, Jerrara Road, Forbes Street, Brisbane Grove Road, Nadgigomar Bridge approach scouring (Oallen Ford Road) and on Spa Road bridge approach," the spokesman said.

"Generally, damage appears to be on new sites, with recent storm repair works withstanding the flooding, which is an excellent result."

The Wollondilly River rose rapidly at Towrang where the council is constructing a new bridge. The spokesman said staff were still waiting for water to recede but didn't expect any major issues. The flooded road cut some residents' access to Goulburn and on Saturday, the SES had to deliver essential medication to one person by boat.

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Staff are doing a detailed assessment of all the infrastructure the damage as part of the Disaster Assistance claim.

Remediation work was already underway on Jerrara Road as part of Multiquip Quarries' obligations under consent conditions for its nearby Bungonia district operations. It followed a council legal threat against the company in November.

Jerrara Road resident Leisha Cox-Barlow said the 14km stretch was bad before but the rain had made it worse.

"As a driver I'm super cautious," she said.

"I'm also very concerned as a mum of two p-platers. If they're not contending with wildlife, it's the potholes you can and can't see. You're not sure whether sections will give way when you drive over them."

Near the Oak Valley Road junction, potholes were all across the thoroughfare and it was impossible to avoid them, she said. A very large pothole had also appeared on a bend about 1km along Jerrara Road from the Hume Highway.

Meantime, it's the fourth Disaster Assistance application the council has lodged in two years. Heavy rain in February and August, 2020, together with some earlier fire impacts, were estimated to have caused $15.1 million worth of damage to the road network.

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Another deluge last March prompted another claim. An October council meeting report stated that the emergency component had been approved and paid. However the essential public asset restoration' component was still under assessment and negotiation. The council had been requested to submit a revised claim after approval authority, Transport for NSW, conducted a site visit.

At that stage, more than $6.5 million in natural disaster repairs for the three events has been undertaken.

The council has appointed Reliance Engineering to manage and prioritise the work. It has also established a works panel, including local companies, to undertake the repairs.

The council is given two years from the end of the relevant financial year to complete the work. The March, 2021 work must be completed by June, 2023.

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Meantime, as of Monday morning the following roads remained closed:

The following roads were open:

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