FAQs
- understand current and future flood risks
- plan infrastructure upgrades
- inform development controls and emergency planning
- prioritise cost-effective mitigation options that benefit the community.
- by email, to amir.montakhab@stantec.com
- by post, to Stantec, Level 16, 207 Kent Street Sydney NSW 2000
- Amir Montakhab, our consultant, Stantec on (02) 6263 9421 or at amir.montakhab@stantec.com
- Blacktown City Council on (02) 5300 6000.
- flood modification measures such as levees, pipe upgrades and channel improvements
- property modification measures such as the development of a set of flood related development controls that would apply to future development located on flood prone land
- response modification measures such as improvements to flood emergency planning and weather warning systems.
- NSW State Emergency Service What's your plan? | NSW State Emergency Service
- Bureau of Meteorology Flood Knowledge Centre
Why is this study happening?
Under the NSW Government's Flood Prone Land Policy as outlined in the 2023 NSW Flood Risk Management Manual, Council has a duty of care to manage lands subject to flooding within its Local Government Area and is required to prepare a flood risk management plan. Flooding in Riverstone comes from both local overland flows and the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system.
This study builds upon several previous investigations that help form a detailed picture of flood behaviour in the area. These include the 2020 Blacktown overland flow flood study, the 2016 Eastern Creek flood study (riverine flooding), the 2024 Eastern Creek floodplain risk management study and plan (ongoing) and the 2024 Hawkesbury-Nepean flood study by the NSW Reconstruction Authority. Together, these studies cover both local overland flooding and broader riverine impacts.
This study will update Council's existing flood information and help us better plan for, predict and manage the risk of flooding across the catchment.
It will help Council:
What is the Riverstone floodplain risk managment study and plan?
Council has secured grant funding from the NSW Government to undertake a comprehensive Floodplain risk management study and plan for Riverstone, following our adoption of the Eastern Creek flood study in 2023 and the Blacktown local overland flow flood study in 2024.
This study will help us plan for, predict and manage the risk of flooding across the catchment. To prepare the study, Council has engaged Stantec, an independent consultant specialising in flooding investigations. Further information about the studies can be found on our flooding page here.
What is the Riverstone Town Centre rezoning proposal?
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) exhibited a rezoning proposal on the Riverstone Town Centre in June 2025 to support future urban development and infrastructure delivery.
https://pp.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/ppr/post-exhibition/riverstone-town-centre
The proposal’s aim is to support more homes and jobs for the growing north-west population, with easy access to shops, schools, parks, and public transport. It is informed by strategic flood planning, which assesses flood risks with the aim of managing the flood risk for new development, and ensuring that existing residents are not negatively impacted by flooding because of any proposed development.
How do the Riverstone Town Centre rezoning and the Riverstone Floodplain risk management study and plan relate to each other?
There is significant overlap in the areas, but Riverstone Town Centre rezoning is limited in how much it can mitigate and manage flooding for existing communities, because that is not its focus.
Council’s Riverstone floodplain risk management study and plan will help us plan for, predict and manage the risk of flooding across the catchment by looking at site-specific mitigation options tailored to Riverstone’s unique conditions.
The study is essential to ensure that Council-led floodplain management aligns with future land use planning, especially the Riverstone Town Centre. It also provides the opportunity for you to let us know your experience with floods and have input into how we should manage them.
The Riverstone floodplain risk management study and plan is not aiming to duplicate previous work. Instead, it builds on it to address gaps in flood risk management and exploring site-specific mitigation measures. This coordinated approach ensures that local flood risks are properly understood and managed across Riverstone.
Why is Council collecting information?
Under the NSW Government's Flood Prone Land Policy as outlined in the NSW Government’s Flood Risk Management Manual (2023), Council has a duty of care to manage lands subject to flooding within its Local Government Area.
We follow the guidelines as set out in the NSW Government’s Flood Risk Management Manual. The process includes a flood study, data collection and exhibition of flood mitigation options.
We are seeking input from local residents and/or property owners who have experienced flooding at their property within the Riverstone catchment. We are also seeking input from local residents and/or property owners to help us develop floodplain risk management measures that are practical, comprehensive and effective for local flooding of the Riverstone catchment.
This information will directly inform the Riverstone floodplain risk management study and plan, helping us identify and evaluate the most suitable mitigation options.
How and where will the information/data I provide be used?
The information, data and completed questionnaire that you provide will be used to calibrate our current flood model, and will ensure that the updated flood modelling reflects your experiences. The information, data and completed questionnaire that you provide will also help us develop floodplain risk management measures that are practical, comprehensive and effective for local flooding of the Riverstone catchment. Supplying this information is voluntary.
We will store your personal information on our systems or in our offices, where it will be used by our staff, contractors and consultant, Stantec. Other people can request access to it under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. You can ask us to supress your personal information from a public register, and we will consider your request in line with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998. Our Privacy Management Plan sets out how you can access or correct your personal information. Please visit: www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au for a copy of the plan.
Where can I send the information?
Complete the community questionnaire here.
You can collect a physical copy of the questionnaire at Riverstone Library or at Blacktown Administration Centre. It should be completed and returned before 11.59pm 5 May 2026
You can request the physical copy of the questionnaire to be mailed out to you by contacting Blacktown City Council on (02) 5300 6000.
For questionnaires submitted online, you will receive an automatic email with a reference number. Please reply to this email with any photos/videos you may wish to include.
Who do I contact for more questions?
If you have any questions on the preparation of the study or the questionnaire, please contact either:
What are the next steps in the process?
Once we have updated our flood model with the information we collect, the Floodplain risk management study will evaluate management options for the floodplain in respect of both existing and proposed development, considering your input on potential flood mitigation options. This may include the assessment of various:
The Floodplain risk management plan will set out a preferred set of measures aimed at managing the flood risk in the Riverstone floodplain. The Floodplain risk management study and plan will then be presented to Council for adoption. If adopted, we will seek funding from the NSW Government to assist with its implementation.
Where can I find more information on flooding?
Our website provides answers to further questions on flood levels, insurance, planning certificates and development. Additional information can also be found on the following websites: