Have your say on the draft Murrumbidgee Floodplain Management Plan

The NSW Government is inviting residents and stakeholders downstream of Wagga Wagga to have their say on the draft Murrumbidgee Floodplain Management Plan while it’s on public display until 29 September 2024.

The plan is an important tool to manage rural flood works and their valley-wide effects on flows and connectivity.

This is the second round of public consultation after key elements of the draft plan were open for community feedback from 25 March - 5 May this year.

Those elements included the proposed floodplain boundary, the historical flood events used for modelling, the floodway network, cultural and heritage sites, ecological assets, and local variances to some rules.

What we heard in the first round of public consultation helped inform the development of the draft plan and is detailed in a report published on our website.

The full draft plan is now on display, and we encourage landholders and communities to read the Report to Assist Public Exhibition and reach out to the Department to ask questions and learn how to make a submission.

The Department is progressing a number of important programs across the Murrumbidgee at the moment. While they do not operate in isolation, it’s important to note that consultation on the Murrumbidgee Floodplain Management Plan is unrelated to the Department's Reconnecting River Country Program which is focused removing barriers which will allow higher environmental flows.

Floodplain management plans set the rules for flood work applications within declared floodplains. Flood works include roads, channels, dams or levee banks that can change the way water flows to or from a river or change the way water moves during a flood.

Once developed, the Murrumbidgee Floodplain Management Plan will be used as a guide to coordinate what types of flood works can be constructed and where. It will do this while balancing the needs of communities, landholders and the environment, as well as protecting cultural and heritage sites.

We will carefully consider all stakeholder feedback as we develop the final plan, which is scheduled to commence on 1 July 2025.

For more information, to read the Report to Assist Public Exhibition and to get in contact, visit the draft Murrumbidgee Floodplain Management Plan.

NSW DCCEEW Executive Director of Water Planning, Giselle Howard, said:  

“The early feedback we heard from the community was vital in helping us develop key parts of the draft plan, and we thank residents, landholders, local councils, Aboriginal representatives and stakeholder groups for coming out and engaging with us.

“The full draft plan is now on display and it’s critically important the community is informed and has its say. The plan will be in effect for 10 years once it’s finalised, so now is the time to get your feedback in.

“How we manage our rural floodplains plays a key role in maintaining healthy communities and environments, and we want to develop a plan that will work for the entire area for the decade to come.”