Evelyn electorate
Bridget VALLENCE (Evelyn) (14:42): (942) Flooding of homes, roads and facilities in Lilydale remains a significant concern for residents as a result of drainage infrastructure that is no longer fit for purpose and not adequately managed by Melbourne Water or Yarra Ranges council. My question is to Minister for Water on behalf of hundreds of residents that live near the Lilydale open drain, including in Nimblefoot Way, Delta Close, Nelson Road, Cave Hill Road, The Gateway, Morokai Grove and many other surrounding streets: when will Melbourne Water introduce a quarterly maintenance schedule to ensure regular clearing and de-silting of the entire Lilydale open drain from Nimblefoot Way near Saintly Place to Nelson Road? Our community needs Melbourne Water order to comply with its obligations to ensure the hydraulic functioning of the drain, which cannot happen if it is full of reeds, rubbish and debris. It is currently blocked, flooding people’s homes. The Minister for Water advised me the open drain is maintained once annually, but our community knows firsthand that is not sufficient to mitigate the flooding risk, so we need the minister to facilitate clearing of the blockages and a de-silt of the open drain without delay.