About the plan
The Floodplain Management Plan for the Macquarie Valley Floodplain 2021 (plan) includes management zones, rules and assessment criteria for granting or amending approvals for flood works within the plan area.
Information on the plan is available for viewing as described below.
Floodplain management plan
The Floodplain Management Plan for the Macquarie Valley Floodplain 2021 (PDF, 5183.38 KB) is a detailed legal instrument written in the required statutory framework.
Maps
The following maps are included within the plan and are available for download.
- Macquarie Valley – Plan map (PDF, 1493.96 KB)
- Macquarie Valley – Management zones map (PDF, 2887.62 KB)
- Macquarie Valley – Floodway network map (PDF, 2596.53 KB)
- Macquarie Valley – Ecological assets map (PDF, 3441.99 KB)
- Macquarie Valley – Existing flood works map (PDF, 1537.99 KB)
- Macquarie Valley – Peak flood flow distribution (1990) map (PDF, 1624.11 KB)
You can view the plan boundary, management zones and ecological assets as a spatial map.
You can also find the floodplain management plan spatial dataset on the NSW Government’s SEED portal for use in your own geographic information system.
Rules and assessment criteria
An overview of the key factors, rules and assessment criteria for each management zone is provided in the summary sheets which are available for download below. The summary sheets are included as a guide only.
- Macquarie Management Zone A (PDF, 176.29 KB)
- Macquarie Management Zone B (PDF, 130.93 KB)
- Macquarie Management Zone BH (PDF, 128.98 KB)
- Macquarie Management Zone C (PDF, 129.32 KB)
- Macquarie Management Zone CU (PDF, 130.14 KB)
- Macquarie Management Zone D (PDF, 173.09 KB)
A transitional provision has been included in the Floodplain Management Plan for the Macquarie Valley Floodplain 2021. This provision mitigates any disadvantage applicants may face as a result of significant delays in the assessment of the flood work applications while ensuring that a comprehensive of assessment criteria is applied to the application. The latter providing for the long-term protection of the floodplain, environmental assets, cultural values and flood flow paths. More information about this transitional provision is available in a fact sheet (PDF, 105.45 KB).
For more information about how floodplain management plans work and the planning process refer to Developing floodplain management plans.
Plan status
The plan commenced on 24 September 2021 and is due for replacement on 30 June 2032.
Community consultation
The department road-tested the major concepts of the plan with key stakeholders during a targeted (informal) consultation process over the period Thursday 11 to Friday 26 May 2017.
The feedback received from targeted consultation was considered by an Interagency Regional Panel prior to the preparation of the plan for public exhibition.
Community input into the preparation of the plan was invited during public exhibition over the period Monday 16 July 2018 to Thursday 13 September 2018. The department notified stakeholders via a media release, the Have Your Say portal, newspaper advertisements and notification letters to key stakeholders and landholders whose properties within Management Zones A and D within the plan area. The department also hosted individual appointments with interested stakeholders to provide greater detail about how the rules and assessment criteria would be applied to flood works in each zone. Appointments were hosted in Quambone, Nyngan, Warren, Narromine and Dubbo in July and August 2018.
A total of 49 submissions were received during the public exhibition period. The main areas of concern identified in the submissions were the method for mapping the draft management zones, the location of the draft management zones and the inclusion of existing works within the draft management zones.
All submissions were considered by an Interagency Regional Panel. A number of changes were made to the draft plan including refinements to the management zones (where supported by the management zone method including hydraulic, ecological and/or existing planning arrangements criteria).
Supporting documents
- Rural floodplain management plans: Technical manual (PDF, 2950 KB)
A general description of the method employed for development the preparation of floodplain management plans under the Water Management Act 2000. - Floodplain management under the Water Management Act 2000: A guide to the changes (PDF, 143.12 KB)
A guide to the transition of floodplain management planning from the Water Act 1912 to the Water Management Act 2000 in NSW. - Background document (PDF, 9418.44 KB) to the Floodplain Management Plan for the Macquarie Valley Floodplain and (Appendices PDF, 11422.75 KB)
A detailed description of how the method presented in the Technical manual has been applied across the Border Rivers Valley Floodplain and should be read in conjunction with the Technical manual. - An overview of floodplain management plans under the Water Management Act 2000 (PDF, 145.17 KB)
A general, plain English explanation of the key provisions of floodplain management plans.
Acknowledgements
Floodplain management plans in the northern Basin were prepared under the NSW Healthy Floodplains Project which is funded by the Australian Government’s Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program as part of the implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in NSW.
Contact us
If you require assistance in reading these documents, please contact 1300 081 047 or water.enquiries@dpie.nsw.gov.au
Spatial map disclaimer
The spatial maps of floodplain management zones contained on this website (“Spatial Maps”) are produced for information purposes only. The authorised versions of the maps contained in floodplain management plans are published on the NSW legislation website.
The State of New South Wales, including the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (“the department”), does not give any warranty, guarantee or representation about the accuracy, currency or completeness of any information contained in the Spatial Maps (including, without limitation, any information included in the Spatial Maps which was provided by third parties). The State of New South Wales (including the department) provides the Spatial Maps without assumption of a duty of care to any person.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the State of New South Wales (including the department) excludes all liability in relation to the information contained in the Spatial Maps or for any injury, expense loss, or damage whatsoever (including without limitation liability for negligence and consequential losses) suffered or incurred by any person acting, or purporting to act in reliance upon any information contained herein.
Applicants for flood work approvals use the Spatial Maps at their own risk when making decisions relating to the Spatial Maps. They should make their own enquiries with the department to confirm the impact of management zones on their application.