Last Friday, The Area News reported that funding was playing a huge part in Murrumbidgee Shire Council’s considerations of the options available to

ensure the town had adequate flood protection.

One option being investigated includes rebuilding the existing levee of which a large section is located on private land belonging to the James family.

After buying the property three years ago, Amanda James said comments that council could resume the land – made at the public meeting last month – have her “extremely worried”.

“I recognise the whole town needs an effective levee bank and it is in our interest also to have it, but to me now seems like the

perfect opportunity to build it in a better spot,” she said.

Mrs James said she would give council the benefit of doubt.

“We are just hopeful that

council will remember this is our home, we use our land, we have fruit trees and council just approved a pool,” she said.

“If council were to resume

our land it would be our worst nightmare; I mean, how can you compensate for that?”

Mrs James said before she and her husband bought the

property they discussed the levee bank with council and were assured that while there were some plans to improve the levee, there was no plan to raise the levee on their land.

Council engineer Mursaleen Shah is overseeing the project and met with the James family on Wednesday. Mr Shah said in the highly unlikely event of council taking ownership of the land, the family would be compensated.