More than 5,500 people signed a petition against plans to build a five-metre embankment along the waterfront.
However, the council has admitted that there will never be a consensus on any flood protection proposal.
A report to a meeting of Dumfries and Galloway Council's environment committee next week will attempt to find a way forward.
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Chairman Colin Smyth said: "What we are now able to do is focus on what I think is the biggest issue as far as the public is concerned. In the draft proposal, the height of the embankment and the walls were simply too high and the public did not support that.
"What we now need to do is make sure that we find a solution that deals with the flooding, regenerates the Whitesands, solves the car parking issues, but also reduces the height of any proposed flood protection scheme."
Water from the River Nith regularly spills over into the Whitesands, flooding a major town centre car park and nearby business premises.
Campaigners against the Â£15m proposal to build an embankment claimed it would have a detrimental effect on the town's main beauty spots.
They also raised concerns that the move would lead to the loss of about 200 waterfront car parking spaces.
David Slater, a local businessman who has been one of the project's most vocal objectors, said: "However many other consultations they do now, public opinion will not change at this stage.
"It will be interesting to see how they can agree with the public to reduce the height of the bunds. There has to be better ideas because we can't put that in our town."
Earlier this year MSPs called for the row over the flood protection plans to be brought to a "positive conclusion".

Last month, the BBC learned an undeclared payment of £6,195 was made to Conservative David Mackintosh's party by the director of a company overseeing work at Northampton Town FC.
Northamptonshire Police said the Electoral Commission (EC) was not investigating the payments.
The EC and Mr Mackintosh have been approached for comment.
Mr Mackintosh's local party received the payment for tickets from Howard Grossman, whose company 1st Land was set up to oversee the rebuild of the League Two club's Sixfields stadium.
Three individuals with links to Mr Grossman also paid £10,000 each into Mr Mackintosh's general election fighting fund, but one of the payments - from Gary Robert Platt - was also not declared to the EC.
By law, personal donations of more than £500 and donations to local associations of more than £1,500 must be declared to the EC.
The company 1st Land subsequently went into administration. Work on the stadium remains incomplete and the main contractor is owed £2m.
Mr Mackintosh was leader of the borough council when it approved a £10.25m loan for the Sixfields stadium plans, but millions of pounds of the money is currently unaccounted for.
Police said they are still investigating "alleged financial irregularities" surrounding the council's loan to the club.
A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: "We have liaised with the Electoral Commission and understand they have considered both the undeclared £10k and the gifted £6,195.‎
"The Electoral Commission are not undertaking an investigation into either of these matters and nor are they referring any suspected criminality to Northamptonshire Police.
"On the basis of the Electoral Commission's position and in the absence of any direct link to the loan made by Northampton Borough Council to Northampton Town FC, we as a force will not be investigating the donations made to David Mackintosh MP".
Suresh Patel, chairman of Northampton South Conservatives, previously told the BBC the Electoral Commission was not informed of the payment by Mr Platt because of an administrative error and he had subsequently done so.
He has declined to comment on the police's latest announcement.
Mr Grossman previously told the BBC in a statement: "Howard Grossman paid £6,195 for tickets to attend an event hosted by Mr Mackintosh as part of his election campaign."
The BBC has been unable to contact Mr Platt.
Senior councillors in Dumfries have pledged to find a compromise solution to the Whitesands flooding problem.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
Undeclared payments made to an MP's office by a businessman will not be investigated by police.