Cec Holden has been a long-time campaigner for improvements to the drainage system in Kyabram and for the last seven months has been waiting patiently for yet another issue to be solved.
“A tree went over across a drain on the road (at the southern entrance) and I let the shire know straight away.
“It took them seven months to solve the problem after they initially didn’t think it was their responsibility and pointed the finger at VicRoads,” he said.
It is the latest issue for the “water problem’’ that consistently raises its head when heavy rainfall is recorded in the town.
The water just doesn’t have anywhere to go, at least not with the current drainage infrastructure.
An almost “bone-dry’’ McEwen water storage facility in the north-west of the town’s entry point seems to be somewhat of a waste as water banks up and floods roadways at the opposite end of the town.
One thing is for certain the bubbling frustration of those who have campaigned strongly for improvements to the town’s draining is going nowhere.
Decades ago a Kyabram drainage committee was formed to work in conjunction with the then Kyabram council to plan a way forward.
Unfortunately none of the planners and engineers from that era are still around and the group often finds itself with a far greater working knowledge, and understanding, of the issues than those charged with the responsibility for fixing the problem.
Decades of drainage problems with South Boundary Rd, McEwen Rd and Lake Rd are no closer to being solved and — according to the group which still meets regularly with Campaspe Shire representatives — there is no joy on the horizon.
A recent meeting had a distinct “lip service’’ element as the frustrated group pointed out bringing in tankers to remove the overflowing water and pumping water from one place to another on flooded plains was not the answer.
The drainage issue is never far from the surface thanks to a highly aware and well educated group of long-time Kyabram residents who have taken the problem on as their own personal “war’’ with the local government authority.
Every time there is a significant deluge the issue of drainage explodes to the surface, literally, as the inability of the town’s system to handle large amount of rainfall deposits is clear for everyone to see.
Like any problem, according to Mr Holden, the drainage issue will be ongoing until the council admits it has a problem.
That, along with maintaining the infrastructure that is in place and responding in a more timely manner to reports of problems with blockages preventing the water from flowing to intended storage points.
Mr Holden’s latest issue with the council resulted in him and a neighbour (Rob) cracking two stubbies of Victoria Bitter in celebration of a fallen tree being removed from a McEwen Rd drain — seven months after it was first reported.
“The council said it wasn’t their drain so we contacted VicRoads.
“VicRoads just pushed the tree further into the drain, I am guessing, so it didn’t impact on roadways, before the council got back to me and told me it was, in fact, their responsibility,” he said.
What instigated Mr Holden’s phone call to the Free Press was the fact he had been further frustrated by the long wait of Wyuna residents for the repair of Goddard Rd.
While it was a little, maybe a lot, tongue in cheek, Mr Holden said he was pretty happy with the seven months it had taken him to get the tree removed — compared to the reported 12 months it took for the Wyuna residents to have their road repaired.
“It seems like they are getting better. Maybe the next issue will only take three months,” he said.
– Since Mr Holden reported the tree, and it was eventually removed, the drain it was removed from has been cleaned and had its surrounds beautified by the Campaspe Shire Council.
Contractors spent more than a week on the site and have not only improved its effectiveness, but also the entrance to the town.
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