This Regulation approves the Floodplain Management Plan for the Barwon-darling Valley Floodplain. The Plan, consisting of 58 sections and completed by two Schedules and seven Appendixes, is made under section 50 of the Water Management Act 2000. This Plan is a plan for floodplain management and generally deals with the matters set out in sections 29 and 30 of the Act, as well as other sections of the Act. The vision of this Plan is to contribute to a sustainable, healthy and working floodplain by managing the development of new flood works and amendments to existing flood works to protect the passage of floodwater through the floodplain, whilst recognising the need to minimise the risk to life and property.
The objectives of this Plan are to: a) facilitate the orderly passage of floodwaters through the Barwon-Darling Valley Floodplain; b) minimise the risk to life and property from the effects of flooding; c) maintain flood connectivity to wetlands, other floodplain ecosystems, and areas of groundwater recharge; d) contribute to the protection of the ecological assets and values of the Barwon-Darling Valley Floodplain; and e) contribute to the protection of cultural, heritage and spiritual features of the Barwon-Darling Valley Floodplain that are significant to Aboriginal people and other stakeholders.
The strategies of this Plan are to: a) establish management zones for coordinating flood work development; b) identify the existing and natural flooding regimes in the area; c) delineate a floodway network that has adequate hydraulic capacity and continuity to effectively convey floodwaters; d) identify ecological assets and the ecological benefits of flooding; e) identify cultural assets and the cultural benefits of flooding; f) identify existing flood works; and g) establish rules for the granting or amending of flood work approvals.