Katherine promised new $13.3m levee after town's worst flood in 28 years

Residents in the Northern Territory town of Katherine have been promised a new $13.3 million levee after severe flooding earlier this year. The project is planned for Katherine South and is intended to strengthen flood protection in an area that was heavily affected by the March floods. Road-raising works are also part of the plan, alongside a new flood barrier system.

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The funding will come from both the Northern Territory and federal governments, according to the announcement. The proposed works would stretch for about 3 kilometres and are expected to include 1.6-metre dirt embankments and a 1.5-metre-high levee wall. Officials said the project is designed to protect an additional 210 homes and businesses in Katherine South.

The announcement comes months after the Katherine River recorded its highest flood peak since 1998 in March, when the town experienced what authorities described as a period of back-to-back, compounding and consecutive extreme weather events over four months. The NT government said the new levee would be funded from its $100 million Flood Recovery Fund, which was established during the March floods. A spokesperson for the Country Liberal Party government said the combined north and south levees would provide greater protection and help mitigate flood impacts up to a one-in-20-year event.

The plan matters because Katherine is still recovering from one of its worst floods in nearly three decades, and the new works are aimed at reducing the risk of future damage to homes, businesses and roads. Flood mitigation is a major issue in the town because the Katherine River can quickly threaten low-lying areas during intense wet-season weather. The project also reflects the scale of public spending now being directed toward recovery and resilience after repeated severe weather.

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Katherine has faced a difficult wet season, with the March flooding followed by continued recovery work in the community. Local volunteer Trent de With, who helped with flood recovery efforts, said the levee would be very advantageous for people living on that side of town. He also said stagnant water remained in some Katherine South streets for the longest period anywhere after the floods, underlining the disruption caused by the event.

It is not yet clear how long the levee project will take to complete, and officials have not given a construction start date. The exact sequencing of the road-raising works and the levee build also remains unclear. What happens next will depend on planning, delivery and funding arrangements, as Katherine continues to assess how best to reduce the impact of future floods.

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