FAQs

A Stormwater Management Plan (SMP) is Council’s municipality‑wide, 10-year strategic plan that sets the vision, objectives and prioritised actions to manage urban and regional stormwater quantity and quality reducing flood risk, protecting waterways and public health, and aligning with Integrated Water Management (IWM) principles. 

 The SMP:

• identifies hazards and risks from management of urban and regional stormwater
• defines time‑bound actions and targets
• establishes governance and monitoring (MERI) arrangements and 
• is developed with input from water authorities, catchment managers and the community.

In Victoria, councils are required to create and update their stormwater plans at least every five years. Our Stormwater Management Plan sets out priorities and actions for East Gippsland, based on local information and feedback from our community.

This phase will not include new detailed flood modelling, mapping of overland flow paths, or any site‑specific design or construction drawings.

Instead, this stage focuses on bringing together existing information, speaking with the community and stakeholders, and developing a practical action plan. This plan will include a risk‑based method for prioritising projects and a proposed capital works program.

Any locations that need more detailed studies or design work will be identified as future actions.

OMLI stands for Obligations of Managers of Land or Infrastructure. These obligations require councils to plan for stormwater risks and report on how they are managing them.
The General Environmental Duty requires Council to do what is realistic and achievable to prevent harm to the environment and human health.
Our Stormwater Management Plan helps Council meet these responsibilities by clearly setting out how we manage stormwater risks.

Councils must review, update and publicly report on their Stormwater Management Plan at least once every five years.
This ensures the plan stays up to date, reflects new information, and responds to changes in the community and local environment.

We use a simple and consistent process to work out which drainage upgrades are most urgent.
We look at things like:

• how likely an area is to flood
• the condition of the existing drains
• what the community needs and has told us

We then use known problem spots and Council’s current guidelines to create a works list. This helps us focus on fixing the highest‑risk areas first.

Not in this phase.
If a location needs detailed flood studies or overland flow mapping, it will be listed as a future action.

Flood maps are created using computer models, elevation data (such as LiDAR) and local observations.
New flood mapping is not included in this stage, but any future mapping will be released once it has been fully checked and verified.

• Riverine flooding happens when rivers or creeks overflow their banks and spread across the floodplain. This usually develops over hours or days.
• Flash flooding happens quickly during intense rainfall when drains or natural flow paths can’t keep up, causing water to pool or flow rapidly along streets and properties.

We focus on the areas that need attention the most. To do this, we look at things like:

• how likely flooding is, and how much impact it could have
• the condition of the drainage system
• any service issues the area is causing
• nearby development that might affect drainage
• feedback we’ve received from the community

This approach helps us make decisions that are consistent, transparent, and focused on the places with the greatest need.

Many developments in Victoria already have to meet best‑practice stormwater rules.
Our Stormwater Management Plan will make it clearer what Council expects locally, so applicants know the standards we apply during the planning and building process.

Integrated Water Management, or IWM, is about different organisations working together to plan and manage the whole water cycle things like rainwater, stormwater, drinking water and wastewater to get the best outcomes for the community, the environment and the local economy.

Our Stormwater Management Plan supports this regional work by helping identify projects that offer multiple benefits or could be funded in partnership with others.

This stage of the project only looks at planning and priorities it doesn’t include detailed design or construction.

Yes. The Stormwater Management Plan considers flood risk, the condition of stormwater assets and water quality.
It includes practical actions, such as opportunities for Water Sensitive Urban Design, that help reduce pollution and protect our creeks, lakes and estuaries.