A public meeting will be held in Ingham to discuss the removal of more sand from the Herbert River to reduce the severity of future flood events.
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines and Hinchinbrook MP, Andrew Cripps , said the community meeting, to be hosted by the Queensland Government, would give interested parties information about obtaining approvals for the extraction of sand from the Herbert River.
“ I am aware of the strong public interest in removing sand from the Herbert River to reduce the large deposits that have accumulated in the tidal reaches, which have created severe flooding in communities such as Cordelia and Halifax, ” Mr Cripps said.
“ I will do what I can to help address flooding concerns in the Herbert River district, and tonight’s meeting follows similar work my Department has undertaken to help alleviate flooding in Cattle and Frances Creek .”
Mr Cripps said tonight’s meeting would be chaired by local Canegrowers manager Peter Sheedy, and invitations had been extended to Hinchinbrook Shire Council, Herbert River Improvement Trust members, landholders and extractive industry representatives.
“ The meeting will be co-hosted by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection and Canegrowers Herbert River ,” he said.
“ Officers from DNRM will be on hand to provide information about approval processes for sand extractions and answer questions that landholders and industry representatives have .
“ The Newman Government is committed to removing red tape wherever possible and supporting communities by letting them get on with the job of managing their land and waterways .
“ Officers from my Department will work in partnership with local landholders, the local Council, the River Improvement Trust and other agencies to identify options to alleviate the flooding problem .
“ Tonight’s meeting will be another step towards progressing these issues and ensuring everyone affected is fully informed and aware of the support available to them. ”
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Press Release, July 9, 2013