Flood Management

Funding win to support flooding risk investigations in the Parramatta CBD

City of Parramatta has secured $250K in Australian Government funding for a series of flood investigations in the CBD. The funding, provided by a National Emergency Management Agency grant, will be matched by Council.

The $500K will be directed towards development of design options to reduce flooding along the Parramatta River.  The project will investigate modifying existing infrastructure, and/or designing and constructing new infrastructure, to reduce flooding.

Across the LGA, many communities are regularly confronted by flash flooding. The highly urbanised environment - with diminishing green areas to absorb and slow water - and increasing areas of hard-stand such as roads, paths and highly-developed areas impervious to water, make managing flooding difficult.

Tens of thousands of people and businesses are exposed to flooding, with risks to life and to infrastructure.

The Disaster Ready Fund project will look to flood mitigation within the Parramatta CBD, also upstream and potentially downstream of the CBD, with a view to providing new flood infrastructure in areas attracting rapid growth.

Project aims

1. Investigate the optimum size and design of flood infrastructure including drainage, diversion, flood detention basins, and levees
2. Investigate if the proposed flood infrastructure can reduce flooding in areas downstream of the Parramatta CBD as well as upstream of the CBD and within the CBD
3. Produce concept designs for the preferred infrastructure options and cost these options
4. Produce detailed designs for preferred infrastructure options and cost construction and completion of works.

The project is scheduled to begin in late-2024. Subject to the development of the program and appointment of specialist consultants, design options are planned to be placed on public exhibition in 2025.  

Funding

Announced by Australian Government Minister for Emergency Management, Jenny McAllister in late-2024, this funding is part of a long-term commitment to enhance Australia's capacity to respond, adapt and recover from natural disasters by investing up to $1 billion over the next five years in resilience initiatives across the country.

For more information about the Disaster Ready Fund and the National Emergency Management Agency, please visit the NEMA website.

See the official website Disaster Ready Fund | National Emergency Management Agency (nema.gov.au) and scroll down to Disaster Ready Fund Round Two NSW.

Further information:

For information on the upcoming Disaster Resilience project, please contact the City of Parramatta Flood team via Customer Contact on 1300 617 058 or email FloodSmart@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au