About the program
The Improving Floodplain Connections program was completed in June 2025. It was established to improve flood flow connectivity to support flood-dependent ecosystems and cultural assets in the northern Murray–Darling Basin.
The program focused on accelerating the process of bringing unapproved or non-compliant flood works into compliance with the relevant floodplain management plan.
Floodplain management plans set the rules for flood works on rural floodplains—such as levees, embankments, above-ground storages, and access roads—to ensure they are managed to protect life and property during flood events.
Working in collaboration with other NSW Government agencies, the program assessed a total of 315 flood work structures across more than 100 priority areas. Landholders were directly engaged to find solutions to bring the structures into compliance. This included modifying structures to meet approval requirements or removing them entirely.
The program was jointly funded by the Australian Government ($10.196 million) and the NSW Government ($1.08 million). Without this funding, achieving the same outcomes would have taken about 15 years, rather than the program’s actual duration of 3 years.
Priority areas
More than 100 priority areas were identified in the five northern Murray-Darling Basin valleys of Border Rivers, Gwydir, Namoi, Macquarie and Barwon-Darling.
Priority areas were identified as locations where action under the program could produce the most benefit for floodplain connectivity. Within each area, there may have been one or several flood work structures, and a combination of approved and unapproved structures.
Priority areas were selected after extensive assessment, including an analysis of hydraulic, ecological, and cultural impact.
Program results
The table below indicates the compliance pathway results for all flood works in the program by each valley.
| Compliance pathway results | Barwon-Darling Valley | Border Rivers Valley | Gwydir Valley | Macquarie Valley | Namoi Valley | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of priority works assessed | 5 | 37 | 113 | 86 | 74 | 315 |
| No action required under the IFC program | - | 26 | 62 | 47 | 35 | 170 |
| Number of flood works requiring approval | 4 | 3 | 39 | 20 | 36 | 102 |
| Applications for flood work approval* | 2 | 2 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 40 |
| Number of flood works referred to NRAR and removed | 1 | 8 | 12 | 19 | 3 | 43 |
* Applications for a flood work approval can seek approval for more than one flood work. Applications for a flood work approval are assessed and determined by WaterNSW. This information is current as at 30 June 2025.
