Maitland Council embarks on updated floodplain study

Maitland City Council is calling on residents to have their say and help shape an updated floodplain risk management study for the Maitland local government area.  

Coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the devastating 1955 Hunter Valley flood this month, community consultation on the updated study is now open until Saturday 22 March 2025. 

Maitland residents can share their first-hand accounts of flooding in Maitland to help deepen the study’s understanding of flood risk and potential hazards.  

Maitland City Council’s Manager Environment and Sustainability Catherine Pepper said the study would “allow Council to more effectively and accurately identify the risks of flooding, anticipate the impacts and assess management options for the future.” 

“Gathering as much local knowledge as possible is vital to fleshing out our understanding of why, where and how pockets of Maitland’s floodplain are impacted by large-scale flood events,” Ms Pepper said. 

“As we’ve seen over the decades, and most recently in July 2022, Maitland and the wider Hunter are no stranger to the impacts of flooding. 

“It is our intention, through the development of this updated study in partnership with specialist engineering consultancy WMA Water, that Maitland Council will be in a stronger position and better informed to predict, plan for, respond to and recover from large-scale flood events.  

“The end result will be a flood risk management plan that identifies management actions that will assist Council, state agencies and the community in managing our flood risks. The plan will be put on exhibition for community comment during 2026.” 

Maitland City Council is committed to playing an active role in increasing community preparedness for future flood events, through actions such as this study, partnering with organisations like the NSW SES, the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Council’s Floodplain Risk Management Committee. 

“Our climate is changing and extreme weather events that can lead to flooding will continue to increase in the future,” Ms Pepper said.  

“Flood resilience continues to be a multi-agency effort and we’re working to develop the tools, resources and plans to help agencies effectively manage and respond to floods in Maitland.” 

Locals can help shape the updated risk management study and share their first-hand accounts until Saturday 22 March 2025 by visiting mait.city/floodstudy