Flood Recovery & Resilience
Following the devastating floods from 2020-2022 the turf production industry was significantly impacted and some farms experienced up to 8 floods.
Turf NSW was awarded two projects to support recovery and resilience of the turf production industry from natural disasters.
The projects run through 2023 – 2025 and there are a variety of activities and outcomes for the industry to assist turf producers now and in the future.
The information below focuses on the outcomes of the projects that relate to recovery and resilience from the floods.
Videos
Capturing turf producers lived experiences of multiple floods was vital in understanding what they went through, what they learnt and how they have recovered. This project produced a series of videos including topic specific videos.
Flood Management Plan
It had been nearly 30 years since the last major floods in Sydney, so a flood management plan was not something that most turf producers had for their business. A two-part document is being developed to prepare businesses for future floods and to assist in training their staff to prepare for a flood or evacuation emergency.
Silt Management
One of the biggest challenges after flood waters subside is the deposit of silt on to turf paddocks. Every paddock can be different and turf species can respond differently. The Silt Management project provides a series of videos and reports to assist growers determine what are the best options for their recovery. This project has been developed based on experiences from growers during the 2020-2022 floods.
Drain & Creek Clearing
Drain and creek clearing hadn't been a priority in the Hawkesbury for many years and the floods highlighted the importance of keeping them maintained to allow for flood waters to move off properties quickly. Paddocks that had waters lying for weeks had no chance of survival compared to those with a faster clearing.
Riverbank Restoration Following Floods
Natural turf is often overlooked for riverbank restoration on creeks and rivers. This project demonstrates the benefits of using the right turf to restore riverbanks.
Turf Growers Flood Resilience Study - Report
The Water Research Laboratory (WRL) of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNSW Sydney was engaged by the Turf Growers Association of NSW (Turf NSW) to investigate the impacts of flood damage to turf crops in NSW and develop strategies to mitigate those impacts. This study focuses on the Windsor floodplain for assessing flood hydrological drivers, however lessons learnt from investigating Windsor can be applied to other regions. Windsor was selected as it is the largest turf producing region in NSW, containing over 50% of Turf NSW members.
These projects are funded by the Australian and NSW Government's Storm and Flood Industry Recovery Program.