The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) will provide up to $5 million in funding to support the management of land contaminated by the early 2022 floods.
Announcing the new program in Lismore, EPA Chief Executive Officer Tony Chappel said the organisation was committed to helping the region recover, and ensure peace of mind for residents.
“I cannot begin to imagine how hard it has been for the community to return home after the flooding, only to face a painstaking clean-up,” he said.
“We want to give Northern Rivers communities who have made that extraordinary effort the certainty that the land they live on is healthy and safe.”
Chappel said the program would provide free, independent contamination assessments for eligible properties, and landholder assistance for any necessary clean-ups if contamination is detected.
“I want to thank all our EPA officers who have been working with other agencies to remove waste and debris from across the region,” he said.
“The volumes have been enormous and in the past week alone, we have removed 261 cubic metres of debris from our waterways, equal to that of three semi-trailer trucks.”
The funding will also support the seven eligible councils – Lismore, Richmond Valley, Ballina, Kyogle, Tweed, Byron, and Clarence – to assess any flood contamination to public areas as well as providing resources to manage contamination from future natural disasters.
The EPA has been running several programs to help regions impacted by floods, with the Shoreline Clean-up Program removing more than 17,800 cubic metres of flood debris from waterways in an area extending from the Queensland border to the Illawarra.
The Flood Recovery Program for Contaminated Lands is jointly funded by the State and Commonwealth disaster recovery funding agreement (DRFA).
For more information, or to apply for assistance, visit: www.epa.nsw.gov.au
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