Council challenged over “private streams”

Flooding at Pinewoods Holiday Park.

Flooding that caused campers to be evacuated from Pinewoods Holiday Park in Red Beach several times has brought the issue of who maintains local streams to the fore.

And it turns out that, in many cases, the private property owner is responsible, even if the watercourse is on the boundary, not actually on the property itself.

The maintenance of streams, which form part of the urban stormwater network, has been a hot topic since this year’s floods: affected residents in areas such as Stanmore Bay and Red Beach are asking why Council is not maintaini...