Coliban Water wins award for its flood response in 2022

Coliban Water has received the Emergency Management Award at the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) 2023 awards for its response to the flood crisis of 2022. The awards honour the excellence and innovation of teams and organisations within the Victorian public sector across all three levels of government.

Managing Director Damian Wells said during the Victorian flood crisis in 2022 his team was working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure the vital community assets of water and sewer were protected.

“For more than 65 days we had a 24/7 incident team set up to meet the mission of preparing and responding to ensure the safety of customers and employees, prioritising the protection of assets and the environment to achieve the best community outcomes, until the consequences of the rainfall and flood event passed,” Wells said. 

The organisation combined technology with a multi-channel approach to deliver a communication program that considered customer needs and reached a broad and diverse customer base during the floods. 

“We established a single source of truth approach by implementing a regular communication rhythm to cut through ‘noise’, dispel myths and create trust with customers, community partners and other stakeholders,” Wells said.

“This approach focused on supporting the community by giving them accurate, timely and dependable information.”

Many towns throughout the Coliban Water region were significantly impacted by the flood crisis, most notably Rochester, where all but six houses were inundated by floodwaters.

“This award is dedicated to the communities of Echuca and Rochester, who months on from this event are still experiencing the consequences from the flood,” Wells said.