The study area, which is administered by Ballina Shire Council (Council), includes the town of Ballina and surrounding areas. Ballina is a coastal town located at the mouth of the Richmond River in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales, approximately 750 km north of Sydney and 200 km south of Brisbane. The town is the administrative centre for the Ballina Shire (total area 484 km²), which is one of five local government areas within the Richmond River catchment (total area 6,900 km²).

Due to the proximity of Ballina and rural surrounds to various rivers and creeks, the study area is exposed to a risk of flooding. The objective of this document is to facilitate managing this risk, by documenting a Floodplain Risk Management Plan on behalf of Council, in line with the NSW Floodplain Risk Management Process. This Plan aims to mitigate flood risk in the study area and is based on the conclusions and recommendations of the preceding Ballina Floodplain Risk Management Study (BFRMS; BMT WBM, 2012).

The plan summarises the proposed mitigation options for managing flood risk due to Richmond River. The proposed options include community engagement strategies, design of floodways, and design and construct flood relief culverts.