as posted on the west
As he wades through flood waters up to his knees, Phil Warren curses his decision to sell plants rather than goldfish and water features.
The Warrendale Nursery owner faces having to close his Canning Vale family business of 20 years after it was flooded for the second year in a row by water he claims has run off from nearby residential developments.
He has launched legal action against the City of Gosnells, alleging that development approved by the council had not adequately addressed drainage issues.
In places, the water is almost waist-deep and comes to within metres of Mr Warren’s home. His children’s trampoline is submerged and their swing set is dangerously rusted after sitting in water for weeks at a time.
He claimed the water had also swamped the hothouse, waterlogged plants, rotted tools and destroyed stocks of fertiliser and potting mix.
He estimates the flooding cost him $250,000 last year and will force him to close completely this year.
He said attempts by the council over the past year to clear drains and reduce the flooding had met with little or no success and, despite five days of fine weather, water levels had continued to rise.
In a desperate attempt to keep the business running, the nursery’s front gate has been adorned with a tongue-in-cheek sign letting would-be customers know that if they honk their horn, someone will swim out to see them.
Mr Warren said he believed it would get worse. As the water evaporated during the warmer weather last year, it left behind a smelly black slime that attracted swarms of mosquitoes.
“When we selected the site we made sure the water was good and it was a high block because Canning Vale is quite low lying,” Mr Warren said. He said things had been fine until last year when land around the site was raised.
City of Gosnells chief executive Daniel Simms said engineers were reviewing the catchment drainage system, but the council was unable to comment further because of the pending legal action.
TIFFANY LAURIE
as posted on the west
