At a public meeting held on Monday night, Swan Hill Rural City Council director of infrastructure David Leahy told the crowd that a new CBD drainage system would be created, which is expected to increase the amount of water that will flow into the Murray River.

The system will direct stormwater from the western side of Beveridge Street to the northern side of McCallum Street, he said.

Council will also complete a number of smaller, localised drainage projects to reduce the impact of minor flooding events.

Mr Leahy detailed the complexities of the current CBD drainage setup, and said it was vital that any construction works were well thought through before being built.

"We're talking about a small area of our CBD, so (any works) will have an impact on another place upstream," Mr Leahy said.

"We need to ensure this is not going to have a negative impact."

Mr Leahy also discussed some of the recent work council had completed, which included improvements near the town hall and in laneways behind Campbell Street premises.

Swan Hill Rural City Council chief executive officer Dennis Hovenden said council had a "genuine desire" to fix the town's flash flooding woes.

"The people who are here tonight are genuinely concerned," Mr Hovenden said at the meeting.

"(Fixing the problems) does come at a cost but that shouldn't deter the council from working with businesses or groups like the Residents and Ratepayers Association."

Mr Hovenden said council would decide how best to fund the drainage works once the project costs had been determined, and promised to keep the public informed through local media outlets.

Monday's meeting at the Swan Hill Club was facilitated by the Swan Hill-based Residents and Ratepayers Association, and president Brian Carty said he was pleased with the turnout of about 40 people, which included business owners, residents and councillors.

"The infrastructure in Swan Hill is very much lacking. It's been a long time and it's about time something was done," Mr Carty said.

"Swan Hill has been hit with unprecedented rainfalls, and no doubt this will happen again. Our businesses cannot afford further interruptions and repairs."