The City of Bathurst has experienced varying degrees of flooding during its history as a result of flooding of the Macquarie River and its tributaries. Severe flooding was most recently experienced in 1986 and 1990.

The Bathurst Floodplain Management Plan follows a previous 'Flood Study' completed in 1987, a 'Floodplain Management Study' (FPMS) completed in 1988 and a 'Computer Based Floodplain Model' (CBFPM) study completed in 1992. The objective of this study was to prepare a Floodplain Management Plan for Bathurst City Council to reduce the impact of flooding and associated flood damages by implementing a management plan which encompasses both structural and non-structural flood mitigation measures.