The NSW Government is in the process of repositioning each of the 389 navigation markers which washed out of location during the recent floods, as part of a commitment to maintain the safest conditions on NSW waterways.
Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for disaster recovery John Barilaro said the NSW Government has completed a full assessment of damage to the State's waterways and will be working to get markers back in place as quickly as possible.
"Almost 400 navigation aids, such as buoys and channel markers were washed away by flood waters, with the Mid North Coast being the worst affected. In one case a buoy ended up 206 kilometres from its starting point in the Manning River," Mr Barilaro said.
"We know people in NSW love getting out on the water so the NSW Government has tracked down these markers and we will focus on getting them back in place to make life safer for boat skippers.
"This has been the biggest impact on navigation markers in the State's history. The Hastings River alone had 69 navigation markers moved out of location after the heavy rain and flooding."
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads and Acting Minister for Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the 4,107 navigation aids across NSW waterways are like the system of signs and traffic lights on our road network.
"Along with maps and charts, navigation markers play a key part in helping skippers make informed decisions about keeping safe and avoiding known hazards on our waterways," Mr Toole said.
"Teams are working hard to replace these with reserve stock but in some cases new ones need to be ordered and installed. So until we have this system back up and running at full capacity we would remind all skippers to use alternative forms of navigation to keep safe on the water."
