Flood Clean-up Program Extended For Private Land-Holders

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has extended the Land-based Clean-up Program to help private landowners in flood-affected areas remove resulting debris from their land.

The program now includes the clean-up of large, man-made and hazardous debris remaining on properties after flood waters have receded.

The program’s primary focus was previously on the removal of flood debris from public flood plains and low-lying public land.

Clean-up has already been completed at 57 sites and a further 117 sites are planned.

Some of these sites are in the Hawkesubry LGA. The program applies to all of NSW’s disaster-declared LGAs.

Private land-holders can apply for flood debris to be removed under the program using an application form on the Service NSW website.

Community members can apply to have debris, such as metal objects, farm equipment, destroyed sheds or parts of caravans and agricultural chemical containers, that had washed up on their land removed.

Once assessed and salvaged by qualified experts, large items will be sorted and an effort made to recover and recycle components such as aluminium and steel where possible.

Once again, local businesses and contractors have assisted with the recovery efforts.

The Land-based Program is funded under the joint Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Community members can assist in the clean-up of their local area by reporting flood debris to the Environment Line on 131 555 or at info@epa.nsw.gov.au.

The full list of disaster-declared areas can be found on the NSW Government website.

• Topics:

• Floods