Farm scale data

Farm scale data and eligible works letters

As part of the implementation of the NSW Floodplain Harvesting Policy, the eligibility of works capable of floodplain harvesting was determined based on the following sources of information:

• Data collected by the department staff during onsite property inspections;
• Information provided to the department by landholders; and
• Historical remote sensing data.

Commencing in April 2020, the department and Natural Resource Access Regulator (NRAR) wrote to eligible floodplain harvesting landholders to communicate the parameters used to model floodplain harvesting occurring through eligible works. Two letters, by both email and registered post, containing the following information:

Regulated (FPH) properties

1. Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Correspondence – Key information that was used to model floodplain harvesting for their property. Statistics and data were also provided on 3-year, 5-year and long-term average diversions.
2. Natural Resources Access Regulator Correspondence (NRAR) – A list and map of eligible floodplain harvesting works on their property. Note: this letter only included eligible works that were used to model draft floodplain harvesting entitlements, not all floodplain harvesting works. Eligible works were in place at 3rd July 2008.

Unregulated (FPH) properties

1. Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Correspondence – Key information that was used to calculate the draft floodplain harvesting entitlements for their property.
2. Natural Resources Access Regulator Correspondence (NRAR) – Confirmation of eligible floodplain harvesting works on their property. No list of eligible works or maps were attached to this letter.

Eligible works used to inform the department’s modelling and determine the share components attaching to floodplain harvesting water access licences are works capable of floodplain harvesting that, on or before 3 July 2008 were:

1. Constructed on a floodplain in accordance with an approval granted pursuant to Part 2 or Part 8 of the Water Act 1912 or the Water Management Act.
2. Subject to a pending application for an approval to construct the work on a floodplain under Part 2 or Part 8 of the Water Act 1912 or the Water Management Act.
3. Constructed on a floodplain and for which it can be established to the satisfaction of the Minister of Water that the department did not require an approval under Part 2 or Part 8 of the Water Act 1912 or the Water Management Act.

Landholders had a 28 day period to prepare and lodge a submission to the department, citing evidence or anomalies considered relevant. All submissions were referred to the NSW Healthy Floodplains Review Committee for consideration.