When cleaning up after a flood, always wear personal protective equipment, such as gloves and goggles. Learn more about floodwater and your health.
Residual floodwater is often contaminated. The general environmental duty applies to managing floodwater.
Common ways to manage residual floodwater include:
- leaving it to evaporate naturally
- pumping it over a grassed area or into a waterway.
How you manage residual floodwater depends on the nature and extent of water contamination.
Assess the risk of contamination
Contaminated floodwater has a greater risk to human health and the environment and should not be pumped off your property.
Water clarity is not a reliable way to assess contamination risk. If in doubt, assume floodwater is contaminated.
Do not pump residual floodwater if:
- it looks contaminated or has an odour
- it is likely to contain run-off from an urban environment
- it is likely to contain run-off from agriculture, including dairy pond effluent, stock feedlots and holding yards
- it has come into contact with dead stock.
The quality of residual floodwater may become poorer with time. As floodwater evaporates, the remaining water can have a higher concentration of contaminants.
Contact us for advice on managing contaminated floodwater.
Decide where to pump residual water
If you assess the risk of water contamination as low, you can:
- leave the residual floodwater to evaporate
- pump the residual floodwater to grassed areas
- pump the residual floodwater into a waterway.
If you plan to pump residual water into a waterway, consider water users downstream. People may be boating, swimming or fishing, or animals may drink from the waterway.
If you're not sure where to pump your floodwater, contact us for advice.
Get approval to pump floodwater off your property
If you want to pump the water into a waterway or onto public land, you need to get the approval of the waterway or land manager. They may need to test the water first. If you are unsure who manages the area, contact your local council(opens in a new window).
If you want to pump your residual water onto private land, contact the landholder for their approval.
Monitor the pumping process
When pumping begins, conduct a visual check of the water in the receiving environment. If there's a visible plume, reduce the pumping rate. Do not inhale the spray or mist.
Stop pumping and contact us for advice if:
- the receiving land or water becomes discoloured
- there are fish deaths
- there are any changes to the surrounding area.
If you see water pollution or dead fish, report it to us to help keep our waterways safe.
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