Launceston Flood Authority chairman Alan Birchmore said he was pleased but “not in the least bit surprised” that Launceston’s levees held up through the South Esk flood.
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Mr Birchmore said the floods had been a “tremendous test” for the levees, which were only finished in 2015.
“They were engineered to the highest standards and we expected them to perform to the one-in-200 year flood. This was a pretty scary flood but it wasn’t a one-in-200,” he said. “There were a couple of the old section (of levees) that weren’t part of our remit which did a little bit of leaking. Nothing much, just a very small amount.”
Mr Birchmore said he thought the North Esk was generally in good shape in terms of levees, but that future planning should include the possibility of both the North and South Esk rivers flooding simultaneously.
