Lynton Street in Mount Hawthorn was flooded in 2021. Photo by Fiona Kemp via City of Vincent

TWO HUNDRED flood risk hotspots have been identified around Vincent, with works underway to address the most urgent.

Lynton Street in Mount Hawthorn was turned into a canoeable river in 2021, and nearby Menzies Park was a lake for a day.

In recent year’s Vincent’s copped a heavy downpour of criticism from residents who feel the flood response has been too slow. 

Residents opposite Beatty Park had a years-long struggle before the council installed a flood wall in 2022. A year earlier they’d purchased their own sandbags and built a makeshift dyke to stave off heavy rains. 

Low-lying Leederville too, suffered in 2021. Residents there have gone as far as clearing council drains themselves, buying their own pump, and bricking up their boundaries to keep water at bay.

Mount Hawthorn resident Lesley Forey fronted the final council meeting of 2022 to query what was happening with the drains in her suburb, asking if the pipe’s diametre was still adequate for modern rain levels and if the pipes were still within their service life.

Vincent has $425,000 on the books this year to map out which bits of the drainage system are struggling most and to get started on priority upgrades.

Mayor Emma Cole told Ms Forey: “This spot in Mount Hawthorn is probably our number one priority in terms of drainage in the City of Vincent.

In a media release this week the mayor announced upgrades would start in Lynton Street, East Street and Sasse Avenue. 

Climate

“Our climate is rapidly changing so it is important that we are ready to adapt,” Ms Cole said.

“We need to ensure our essential infrastructure, like drainage, is reviewed and upgraded in response to changing weather and storm frequency.”

The council will also run the numbers on whether it should keep spending $160,000 a year on external contractors to clear out drains, or whether it’ll be more efficient to have an in-house team and equipment.

be regularly monitored and unclogged when needed. 

One North Perth resident told the Voice he hadn’t seen regular unclogging: In 2022 he says workers cleaning out a leaf-laden drain near Beatty Park found a wallet which had been stolen from a nearby residence in a burglary.

“The funny thing is that the burglary took place 10 years ago,” our source said.

by DAVID BELL