We welcome the council review of the decision made nine years ago with a different council at a different time.
We oppose the building of the levee for a host of reasons.
The $20 million for the levee — plus continuing costs of maintenance of pumps, etc — could be much better spent on all the restructuring proposed in the new Seymour Structure Plan.
Floods in Whiteheads Creek are a big risk for Seymour that are not addressed by the levee and may become a bigger risk with the levee.
The levee will be a barrier between the town and the river, at a time when river frontage is being recognised as a real asset for the town.
It will have big impacts on river flows. Rather than allowing flood water to slow and spread across the floodplains, the water will be confined. This will increase the speed of water and its power to erode the river banks and other drainage lines across the floodplain.
Several of the large old habitat trees in the remnants of red gum forest will be removed in construction, and erosion could finally undermine many trees on the riverbank. These old trees are a valuable and irreplaceable asset to people and wildlife.
Yes, businesses and residents will be affected by the floods. But we have had 170 years of warning, and many businesses and residences have been built so that future floods will be more a short-term inconvenience that a financial and personal disaster.
We, through the council, need to assist vulnerable people to be prepared.
We call on all residents to voice their opposition to the levee at the Engaging Mitchell website or at the council stand at the Seymour Show.
See more about our concerns at beam.org.au
— Peter Lockyer, Peter Mitchell, Richard Telford
BEAM Mitchell Environment Group
Great job on underpass
I would like to congratulate the people painting the railway underpass.
I think it’s wonderful that someone is doing something great for our town.
It looks fantastic and we need more of this.
Thank you for all your hard work.
— Margot Green, Seymour
Heritage on display
On a positive note, I would like to say what a wonderful job is being done on the railway underpasses. The artwork encaptures Seymour’s heritage and history with the buildings displayed, the iconic Spirit of Progress, wildlife and the army. Well done.
— F. W. Rees, Seymour
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