By Kath Gannaway
A COLDSTREAM couple is blaming clay dumped on land owned by VicTrack for floods which have wrecked carpets and flooring throughout their Station Street house.
Julia and Sard Lamonica live two doors up from the disused railway line and land which has been leased out by VicTrack.
Ms Lamonica told the Mail their house was flooded two weeks ago when there was a deluge, and again on Wednesday night, 16 February, when teams of Coldstream CFA and Lilydale SES volunteers came to their aid to stop the flood waters coming across Station Street from pouring through the house again.
Mr Lamonica said they provided sandbags and helped him dig a trench to divert the water away from the front of the house.
“My newly renovated house now has no carpet in the kids’ bedrooms and the master bedroom and all the flooring in the lounge, entry, hall and study needs to be replaced,” a distressed Ms Lamonica said.
They say they have no doubt that the problem is coming from the VicTrack land.
Their neighbour Michael Jordan, who has lived in his house for 35 years, agrees.
“I have never experienced flooding like this but I have no doubt where it is coming from, and why,” he said.
“In the last 12 to 18 months trucks have been bringing in fill and just dumping it there.
“There is no-one telling them where to dump it and they have filled in trenches so the water just can’t get away,” he said.
Mr Jordan said the water pouring across the road on Wednesday night, and the time before, was the same colour as the clay that had been dumped.
“When a drain is blocked, like they have done over there, eventually you are going to get trouble,” he said.
The Lamonicas have complained to Yarra Ranges Council about the flooding, but say they and neighbours also petitioned the council, when the soil first started being dumped, because of the dust.
“There has also been no allowance for drainage and residents have made complaints to the council in the past,” she said.
“It’s obvious that nothing has been done because the trucks continue to dump dirt there.”
She said with the lay of the land had been altered.
“With the land now flat, and with no drainage, the slightest downpour of rain sweeps down towards the residential side of the street, flows across the road, fills the creek and any pits, drains, roads and holes, then runs straight into our property.”
VicTrack advised the Mail that they leased out the land, but would not say who the lessee was.
The VicTrack spokesperson said they had only recently been made aware of claims of flooding originating from the leased land.
She said VicTrack lease agreements required that a tenant must prevent damage to the environment, and address concerns which affected adjoining or nearby landowners.
Yarra Ranges Council did not respond to the Mail’s inquiries in time for yesterday’s deadline.
