page_title: Patawalonga River
section_title: Flood of 2003
hierarchical_section_title: Patawalonga River / Course and features / Flood of 2003
caption_attribution_description: English: Patawalonga River Weir taken from Patawalonga side facing northwest
context_page_description: The Patawalonga River is a river located in the western suburbs of the Adelaide metropolitan area, in the Australian state of South Australia. It drains an area of flat, swampy lands formerly known as the Cowandilla Plains, or The Reedbeds, which in the mid-20th century were drained by engineering works, enabling the establishment of Adelaide Airport and the development of residential housing.
context_section_description: Heavy rainfall and a malfunction in the weir resulted in the Patawalonga breaking its banks at Glenelg North on Friday, 27 June 2003 and flooding the homes of local residents.  The situation became a major political issue with the Premier, Mike Rann, declaring that he would establish a compensation fund for victims who had suffered water damage to their homes.  A local newspaper report suggested that 160 homes were affected and the cause of the flooding was the gates to the weir being kept closed during a stormwater flood to protect yachts harboured in the Patawalonga Lake. 145 residents made 150 claims upon the fund and at least A$1.4m was paid to the victims, ultimately, by weir operator Baulderstone Hornibrook.  A class action was later launched by 70 residents for further compensation for 'stress and inconvenience'.
caption: The Patawalonga weir
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