According to the Andamooka Progress and Opal Miners Association (APOMA) the government will not let it clear the creeks before they sort out vegetation and native title issues.

APOMA president Peter Allen said residents close to the creek were petrified they will see a repeat of the April floods, which affected about 15 homes.

He said many of them were pensioners, who were so worried about being forced out of theirs homes it was becoming “a mental health issue”.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has authority over the creek but did not respond to The Roxby Downs Sun’s questions before the paper went to print.

Mr Allen said the department was claiming some vegetation that had grown in silt banks since the flooding was actually older growth.

He said they now wanted to conduct a $25,000 survey on the creek to determine what silt could be removed.

“We would have got the whole job done with $10,000,” he said

Mr Allen showed The Roxby Downs Sun photos from May, which showed how much vegetation had grown on silt banks over the past three months.

He says serious flooding is just a matter of time, unless immediate action is taken clear the creek.

“Native vegetation just has a survival characteristic that lets it deal with new situations.”