Healthy Waters Clean-up and Recovery Program - $6.5 million

About

The Healthy Waters Clean-up and Recovery Program will provide assistance to help recover and clean up flood debris along the Queensland coastline (mainland and Mornington Island) and within environmentally sensitive areas inland (where access allows).

It will also offer funding to eligible disaster-impacted councils to manage contamination concerns.

Riverine recovery includes the rehabilitation of riverine, wetland and riparian environments affected by the flooding, undertaken by councils and organisations like natural resource management groups, Land and Sea Rangers and Aboriginal corporations.

The program will undertake works in cooperation with relevant landholders and community groups to assist the recovery needs of the riverine environment.

Activities can include:

•    stabilisations and rehabilitation of riverine areas
•    revegetation and weed management in riverine zones
•    exclusion fencing and off-stream livestock water points
•   removal of disaster-related debris from watercourse where accumulated material poses a threat to the downstream environment or public infrastructure.

Recovery actions should not generate further risk to the environment, will have a strong locally-led focus, and consider longer term resilience measures to limit the impact of future disasters on biodiversity and ecosystems while protecting waterways for the enjoyment of current and future generations.

Eligible councils

•    Boulia Shire Council
•    Burke Shire Council
•    Carpentaria Shire Council
•    Cloncurry Shire Council
•    Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council
•    Mornington Shire Council
•    Mount Isa City Council

Funding acknowledgement

This program is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments to support Queensland communities in their recovery from Northern and Central Queensland Monsoon and Flooding, 20 December 2022 - 30 April 2023.

Administering agency

Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA)

Delivery agency

Department of Environment and Science (DES)