The town of Hay on the Murrumbidgee River in New South Wales has a population of about 3,000. It is protected from flooding by four levee systems surrounding toe town. Total levee length is approximately 4km consisting of a horse-shoe shaped levee surrounding Hay North and a square shaped levee surrounding Hay South.

The levee was originally constructed prior to the 1956 flood. Some additional work was carried out immediately before the arrival of the flood of 1956. Under these conditions construction and raising occurred with some urgency and it is to be expected that a high standard of construction was not achieved.

Despite the apparent deficiencies in the levee system, the town of Hay has not been inundated as a result of failure of the levee.

The audit is designed to appraise the flood security and structural adequacy of the levee system at Hay. This report presents the results of that audit and consists of a visual appraisal of the levee and materials, assessment of the water retention capacity of the levee, research of flood records and an appraisal of the cost of corrective action and the extent of such action.