Parents fear new drains
PARENTS in Inverleigh remain on edge fearing for their childrens’ safety as they wait to see whether Golden Plains Shire will fix what they’ve described as “Third World” drainage works.
Open swale drains were installed late last year due to potential flooding concerns, but residents say the result is “not fit for purpose” due to their depth, steep drop-offs and a lack of safety measures.
The council has been aware of the issue since February, when CEO Greg Anders admitted at a public meeting the result of the $203,000 works was “not a desirable outcome”.
Common Rd resident Rosanne Guijt slammed the so-called solution, which she felt posed a danger to local children who could fall on the steep embankment and into the drain.
“It doesn’t matter whether the drains are full or not. If they slide on the gravel, it will cause a fair bit of injury,” Ms Guijt said.
“What they’ve done so far — digging a big hole and putting Third World country style drains to direct water under the road down the hill, I don’t think that’s a good enough outcome.
“I think having open drainage is just not something from this century.
“(Council) clearly care more about the streetscape plan and getting Inverleigh to look like any other suburb around more than they care about safety,” Ms Guijt said.
Golden Plains councillor David Evans, a retired engineer, recently met with concerned Common Rd residents to inspect the works, telling residents he found the result “frightening”.
Cr Evans said at some points, he felt the depth of the drains posed risks to motorists and could restrict access for some property owners.
He also shared parents’ concerns that in a torrential downfall, a child could lose their life if swept into the drain and any of the culverts.
Cr Evans said it was procedure for residents to convey their concerns to council and asked that they follow that process to reach a solution.
A Golden Plains Shire spokeswoman said council did not believe the works posed added danger to residents, but planned to conduct a risk assessment of the deepest drains and steepest roadside batters.
“The open swale drains along Faulkner Rd and Common Rd in Inverleigh were enlarged during 2018/19 due to significant flooding of roads and private property,” the spokeswoman said.
“Following a review of infrastructure options to address this issue, increasing the capacity of the existing drains along the road reserves was identified as the best option.
“In some sections, the drains have steep batters and are not as shallow or as wide at the base as preferred, however the narrow width of the road reserves and the location of power poles limited the options of infrastructure.
“Council maintains that the driveway culverts do not present an entrapment risk to the public.
“If the risk assessment identifies the need for guard fencing, this will be installed during the current financial year.”