Keith Williams says restoring the Richmond River was the reason he first entered politics and remains his highest priority … and he is now in a position to realise the dream.
The Ballina Shire councillor, who was elected deputy mayor yesterday, was also elected as the new chairman of Rous County Council last week.
Rous County Council has responsibility for bulk water supply for Byron, Ballina, Lismore and Richmond Valley shires, is the weeds management authority for the North Coast and undertakes floodplain management for the Richmond River.
Cr Williams, who is also the manager of Australian Seabird Rescue, said the Richmond River remained his top priority.
‘I thought the river couldn’t get any worse when I started on this campaign, but then nearly all the natural oysters in the estuary died two years ago and we knew that the situation was dire and we urgently needed practical solutions to address the decline,’ he said.
As a Ballina councillor, he pushed for the creation of the council’s Healthy Waterways Program that will contribute $300,000 each year to projects aimed at restoring the health of the river.
But he said the project was doomed to fail unless other council’s also stepped up.
‘As the organisation responsible for managing floodgates and the historical draining of swamps to convert them to farmland, Rous County Council is the key player needed at the table,’ he said.
He said the work of individual councils and non-government organisations such as Richmond River chapter of OzFish needs to be supported by bodies such as Rous.
‘As chairperson I will focus on ensuring that we maintain the communication and collaboration between all the players needed for effective action.
‘I will also be communicating to the State Government the urgency of the situation and their responsibility to provide funding to support the on ground works that are being undertaken.’
Cr Williams thanked his colleagues for their support and said his election was an indication of the goodwill and commitment of councillors throughout the region to effective action on the Richmond.
‘I hope that in 20 years time, when the fish have returned and commercial oysters flourish, we will look back and see 2017 as the year we changed course, when we stopped just talking about the problems and started to take action.’
Great work Keith!
You are behind the legacy begun by the late Lance Ferris who started “Seabird Rescue” in Australia.
Glad that someone responsible is gaining public support as to the state of the waterways and estuaries in NSW.
Marine animals, turtles and water birds in estuaries and water areas are being decimated by the unhealthy conditions.
Tweed Coast is another example of an unhealthy estuary area.
Tourist damage and overpopulation have affected the Tweed environment beyond reason!
Maybe Keith could do something about the more than 30 tonnes of highly toxic Fluoride Rous are administering
to the public through the water supply each year at a cost of over 3 million capital cost plus half a million a year,
Instead of poisoning the river system that money could be diverted to the Healthy Waterways,
Apparently this Fluoride is being dosed because an unspecified number of children on high suger diets are not
capable of being able to clean their teeth properly,
Anyway what can be done with this carpet bag logic, waste of resources which can really be put to fund healthy water ways
For optimal dental health, the World Health Organization recommends a level of fluoride from 0.5 to 1.0milligrams per litre. WHO , which is an organisation of repute and at even greater arms length in its funding than are national governments , would hardly be recommending that level if it were toxic to humans or anything else. The waste water treated with with fluoride is in turn a very small percentage of the water flowing down the Richmond so the fluoride level and risk of toxicity owuld be even infinitesimal. What do you understand to be the level of flouride in the Richmond River in the Ballina Shire and why do you suggest that level is toxic?
Best wishes to your expanded role.
Can we talk about herbicide use and the run off into drains and creeks?