The floodplain area covered by this strategy lies within the Central Murray region of the Murray River Valley. This region extends west from Tocumwal to the junction of the Murray and Wakool Rivers. The main stream systems include the Edward River and Tuppal Creek to the north; the Niemur and Wakool Rivers in the centre; and the Murray River in the south. The area receives low average rainfall (300 to 450 mm per annum). Flooding is generated by high winter and spring rainfall in the upland valleys of the Murray River and its tributaries. The region supports a highly productive agricultural industry of substantial importance to the State’s economy. The floodplain also has important ecological values. It contains large tracts of riverine forests and woodlands and a significant number of productive wetlands. It also supports a range of native fauna.

The objectives of the floodplain management strategy are:

• to provide floodways with adequate capacity for the orderly passage of floodwaters;
• to maintain or restore as far as feasibly possible, the natural pattern of flooding;
• to enable flood protection for agricultural land and other property;
• to enable flooding to support the floodplain environment, particularly flood-dependent ecosystems such as wetlands, riverine forests and woodlands;
• to implement floodplain management consistent with the planning principles of the Murray Regional Environmental Plan No 2, and
• to implement floodplain management consistent with State natural resource management policies.