Hay is located in southwestern NSW, approximately 720 km south west of Sydney. The town is located on the Murrumbidgee River and is protected from flooding by a levee system located around the town. The Council levee protects both the northern and southern parts of town. The survey, which includes the levee alignment and levee crest levels, was undertaken by the NSW Department of Public Works and Services in 2002. The Council levee system is approximately 5,660 metres long (north levee) and 1,150 metres long (south levee). It ranges in height from 0 to 1.5 metres.

This visual levee audit is designed to provide sufficient evidence to enable determination of the following:

• Whether recently upgraded levees are being maintained in accordance with the appropriate Operation and Maintenance Manual/Asset Management Plan or other appropriate maintenance schedule.
• Whether levees that are not in the process of being upgraded have deteriorated since the audits conducted by the Public Works Department (1991) and the Department of Water Resources (1994).

The audit reports are also to recommend if the visual evidence suggests that a more detailed investigation into the condition of the levees is required.