Media Release - Floodplain Risk Management Study & Plan

Carrathool Shire Council is calling on all residents and business owners within the Hillston and surrounding areas to provide information to assist with the preparation of a flood study for the area.

Hillston and surrounding areas have been affected by a number of historical floods, with the more recent ones occurring in 1969, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1998 and more recently in 2016. Council prepared a floodplain risk management plan in 2005 for the area, and a number ofthe options recommended in the plan have been implemented, such as levee upgrades and planning and development controls.

The updated flood study will allow Council to better plan, predict and manage the risk of flooding under the existing catchment and floodplain conditions.

Council has appointed consulting firm Catchment Simulation Solutions to prepare the Flood Study. This project is partly funded through the Natural Disaster Resilience Program which is a joint initiative of the Commonwealth and NSW Governments.

A questionnaire about flooding has been mailed to households and businesses located within Hillston's flood prone area, copies of the questionnaire are available at the Hillston District Office and Library. An online version of the questionnaire will also be made available. There will also be an opportunity to submit any photos or records of floods that you may have experienced in the area as well.

Council will also host adrop-in session once the questionnaire has been sent out. At this session, the community will have the opportunity to talk to council and the consultant one on one to share their flooding experiences. The drop in sessions have been planned for Wednesday 27 November, from 8-10.30am and from 4-6pm at Council's Hillston District Office, 139-145 High Street Hillston.

Further information will be released as the Hillston Flood Study progresses. In the meantime, Council's Director Infrastructure Services Paul Farrell, is the contact for this project and he can be contacted via email at: [email protected]. Council's Flood Consultant Tim Morrison can also be contacted via email at: [email protected].

End Release.