Crews have now fully rebuilt a section of the Morpeth Levee, part of the Hunter Valley Flood Mitigation Scheme, after major flooding significantly eroded the infrastructure in 2021-2022.

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The restoration involved using multiple barges along the Hunter River carrying 48-tonne long-reach excavators to place more than 25,000 tonnes of rock along a 280-metre stretch of riverbank.

Crews used innovative technology to position larger rocks sized 60cm-1 metre underwater to strengthen the levee’s foundation, and place smaller rocks sized 40-70cm along the upper embankment to reinforce the integrity of the levee.

Morpeth Levee is one of 14 Scheme locations damaged due to previous flooding, and the NSW Government is continuing repair works on these sites.

“The Hunter Valley Flood Mitigation Scheme is a lifeline for local communities, safeguarding more than 250,000 people and their properties from flooding events,” Minister for Water Rose Jackson said.

“We know this region is flood-prone and the Scheme’s network of levees, floodgates and spillways gives the community confidence that they can weather the next storm.

“That’s why we committed to repairing this infrastructure and investing in its upkeep, with teams onsite six days a week to fix the damage and place more than 25,000 tonnes of rock onto the levee.”