General News
22 October, 2025
Dollars needed to go down the drain
RESIDENTS along Ray Road may have solutions but will have to wait for action on drainage issues, following the release of the Ray Road Drainage Management Plan (DMP) last week.
While the DMP identifies and documents concept-level drainage upgrades and costings to improve service, funding is not available through the Mareeba Shire Council coffers.
At its monthly meeting on Wednesday, council adopted the Plan, which is now available on its website, and considers the report “as part of future capital works programs and updates to council’s Planning Scheme”.
In the meantime, the question of paying for the upgrades is now part of a determined funding campaign by the council.
“We’ve always known there were problems,” Mayor Angela Toppin said following the meeting.
“But where these problems come from and [how] we best address them ... we couldn’t do anything until we’ve got a proper report.
“Now we will be viciously attempting to get funds.”
Mayor Toppin said the council had needed “hard evidence on which way to go forward”.
“We could go out there and spend millions and not fix the problem.
“Now we’ve got the long-term plan. There are grants out there that will emerge that fit the bill. We’ll go for them.”
It has been over 20 years since the council became aware of drainage issues in the Ray Road area, when a study was commissioned in 2004.
But it wasn’t until the extreme rainfall associated with Cyclone Jasper in 2023, that it expanded its investigations, commissioning two studies in 2024.
The DMP was developed based on those studies to provide a long-term roadmap to alleviate the issues and direct future planning.
Its purpose is to provide information to property owners located in the flood plain investigation area between George Fabris Road and Chinaman Creek; set development controls for council when assessing new development applications as growth in the area expands; and guide council’s capital works priorities to ensure drainage infrastructure upgrades are identified and scheduled with available resources and budgets.
In its report, the DMP said there was no single solution to resolving the drainage issues identified.
“Implementation of multiple infrastructure upgrade solutions is required to progressively improve drainage performance and increase the level of flood immunity within the Ray Road catchment,” the report said.
“The combined impact of these solutions, if affordable, may not eliminate all flooding and drainage issues. However, they would benefit the existing level of service for drainage infrastructure within the Ray Road catchment area.”
The DMP identified opportunities for improved drainage which included:
a) Increase the capacity of crossroad culverts and associated downstream open drains to convey runoff under Ray Road and west towards downstream creek systems.
b) Increase the capacity of existing roadside table drains to contain more stormwater within the road reserve and minimise runoff overtopping the road crown or entering adjacent private property.
c) Construction of detention basins for new developments proposed within the study area
d) Align road and drainage corridors in new development areas to direct runoff to locations aligning with new or proposed road crossing infrastructure and downstream drainage corridors.
To view the Ray Road Drainage Management Plan, visit the council’s website.
