The North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) has received $9.04 million from the Natural Disaster Relief Fund to deliver a range of flood recovery works in north central Victoria over the next two years.

The Australian Government provides funding through the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) to States and Territories to help pay for natural disaster relief and recovery costs. The funding is in response to damage caused by flooding from September 2010 to February 2011.

Chief Executive Officer, Mr Damian Wells, welcomed the NDRRA funding and paid tribute to his staff for their work in developing the detailed proposal before submitting it to the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance.

Mr Wells said, “North Central CMA staff made over 1100 site inspections and contacted 850 landholders from which individual site works were developed and costed.

“North Central CMA has been undertaking urgent flood repair works since January 2011. To date our focus has been on repairing priority strategic levees and removing blockages. Now that we have confirmation of the NDRRA funding we can ramp up the repairs.

“The majority of repairs are to sites where the North Central CMA has previously partnered with local landholders and we are already contacting the people concerned.

“Works will continue across the region until September 2013. $4.3 million is allocated to erosion control and $1.95 million to riparian fencing and revegetation. Other works include blockage removal, river structure repairs, strategic levee repairs, removal of silt from drains and stream gauge repairs. We will also employ new staff to help deliver the works.

“The benefits of the NDRRA funding to the region are significant. We will now be able to repair flood damaged works on properties where the North Central CMA has previously partnered with landholders and there will be ongoing protection of important environmental assets,” Mr Wells said.

For further information please contact: 

Communications Officer, North Central CMA
PO Box 18, Huntly VIC 3551
t: 03 5448 7124
e: info@nccma.vic.gov.au