The 12-month free trial will send out SMS, email and landline messages to residents when flooding is expected.

Rainfall intensity and duration will be measured by rainfall gauges, detecting levels for the middle and lower reaches of Ironbark Creek.

After 12 months residents will need to pay to keep using the service, which was set up by Newcastle council and the state government's Office of Environment and Heritage.

Wallsend has been an area of concern for years, suffering significant damage in the 2007 Pasha Bulker storm.

Newcastle council is considering four options to alleviate Wallsend's flood problems, which are due to be presented to the elected council later this month.

The council will need to apply for state government funding to pay for a solution to fix the problem.

The four options range in price from $2.07 million to $15.48 million.

The council's preferred option is the cheapest, while many residents and business owners are in favour of one of the more expensive options, which will cost $12.77 million.

Wallsend business chamber president Max McCorkell said the council has not taken big picture concerns of locals into consideration.

He would like the council to upgrade the Minmi Road Bridge to four lanes across and create a bigger basin for the water to flow into, which would not only reduce the risk of flooding but alleviate traffic bottlenecks.

Mr McCorkell said any cheaper plans to acquire property in the CBD and create a channel have not been properly costed.

■ To find out more about the flash flooding alert service, go to newcastle.nsw.gov.au.