What we heard about coastal floodplain drainage

Earlier this year, public consultation on the Coastal Floodplain Drainage Project Options Report offered stakeholders an opportunity to discuss and provide feedback on proposed reforms for managing coastal agricultural drainage works.

A summary of stakeholder feedback, titled What we heard, is now available.

The Options Report, developed by a NSW Government interagency working group, proposed six options to address the complexity, time and costs of the approvals process and to improve water quality outcomes for these drainage works.

Stakeholders provided diverse views on the project’s six options, with the proposed one-stop shop webpage and drainage applications coordinator receiving the most support.

Other feedback included opposing views on approvals, with some considering that approvals should not be required for the maintenance of drainage infrastructure, and others opposing the streamlining of approvals or suggesting that regulations should be strengthened.

A number of stakeholders also considered that genuine improvements to water quality would require modification of existing drainage networks.

For more detail, read the What we heard report here.

The project’s working group is now considering all feedback, which will inform recommendations to the relevant NSW Government Minister(s).

The interagency working group includes representatives from:

• Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water – Water Group and Biodiversity, Conservation and Science Group
• Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure – Planning and Crown Lands
• Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development – Fisheries.

The Coastal floodplain drainage project is funded via the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy.