GAWLER River Floodplain Management Authority (GRFMA) members are calling for unity to help attract funding for the $27 million Northern Floodway project.

The project calls for a series of inlets and spillways to be dug into the Gawler River near Two Wells and Lewiston to prevent flooding damage from a one in 100-year flooding event.

It comes with a $27 million price tag, which all member councils have agreed must be funded externally by the state and federal governments.

Current modelling shows the Gawler River is hit by a significant flooding event once every 10 years.

Virginia farmer Rocco Catanzariti backed the plan and called on governments to announce funding soon.

“You don’t actually know until you’ve witnessed it (a flood) and what effects it takes on people,” he said.

The authority is experiencing a period of stability following Adelaide Plains Council’s attempt to leave it in 2017, citing insufficient funds to support the floodway project if it failed to secure external funding.

Stability between councils and COVID-19 pandemic stimulus spending has seen the authority push to secure funding for the project now, four years since the last major flooding event.

The authority recently tabled its budget to constituent councils, with all six endorsing it. But one Gawler councillor has refused to back the Northern Floodway proposal in its current form.

Councillor Ian Tooley, during council’s April meeting, said the floodway was based on outdated modelling which “failed to account for climate change” and would not stop significant flooding events.

“I certainly believe in mitigation and adaptation and I certainly believe in the floodplain authority,” he said.

“What disappoints me is that they’re (the GRFMA) aren’t basing it (the Northern Floodway) on modern science.

“I lose a bit of confidence in that organisation actually, if they’re not going to adequately plan for what’s in our face.”

In response, Playford councillor and GRFMA member Peter Rentoulis called for elected members of constituent councils to do what they can to push the project through.

“I am a panel member on the GRFMA and constituent members have certainly not raised this,” he said.

“To me, this is a councillor who is out of tune with the GRFMA and I dispute what he has to say.

“This needs to get done. The time for politics in terms of trying to stonewall is well and truly done. This needs to be funded as quickly as possible.

“The solution is a good solution. We had three potential solutions and the most expensive was $100 million.”

Last year, the authority turned down a funding proposal for the floodway which would have seen state and federal government funding total $24 million and the difference covered by the constituent councils.

GRFMA chairman Ian Baldwin said governments should find money to construct the Northern Floodway, rather than having it pitted against other infrastructure initiatives in a contested grant scheme.

“The Northern Floodway Project should be allocated state and federal funding as a means of future proofing against costly flooding damages and stimulating the economy, creating jobs, reigniting business confidence, and delivering critical infrastructure projects” he said.

“We have previously had correspondence with the Prime Minister and SA Premier, and have knocked on the doors of three Federal Government ministers, four SA senators, three local Federal Government MPs, three State legislative council members and three state MPs”.

“All the politicians engaged with have noted the importance of fixing this recurring flooding issue, however now approaching the four-year anniversary of the last flood event the authority’s proposed Northern Floodway Project remains unfunded.”