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Byron Shire
June 11, 2026

Water diversity

Latest News

Lennox headland restoration works a success

Community members rolled up their sleeves last week for the 21st Lennox Head Community Tree Planting Day, which helped to continue more than two decades of restoration work on this iconic coastal landscape.

Other News

Australia’s first greenhouse gas monitoring network launches

With World Environment Day being today, June 5, NSW government scientists say they have launched Australia’s first dedicated regional greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring network, "which will help inform emissions reduction as we head towards net zero".

Appeal to locate teen missing near Lismore

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a teenage girl missing from The Channon, north of Lismore.

The Echo has way too much fun at 40th birthday bash

Without an inch or even a centimetre to spare, the Byron Bowling club was dressed up to the nines and packed with funsters on Saturday evening for The Echo's 40th Anniversary & Awards Celebration.

Byron local Stephan Schnierer receives the Order Australia

Stephan Schnierer, a Byron local, has been awarded an Order Australia (OA) from the Kings Birthday honours list.

$42m for ‘a few cyclists’

Fortunately, someone in the federal bureaucracy understands that spending $42m, or $2.8m per kilometre, of public money destroying a...

Emily Lubitz added to Lismore Lantern Parade lineup

Fresh from reaching number one on the ARIA Country Charts, Emily Lubitz will headline the  Heartbeat Festival Stage on Saturday 20 June, as part of the Lantern Parade.

John Revington, The Channon

A big thank you to Rous County Council (RCC) for acting quickly on the preliminary planning and implementation of the diverse water options in its revised Future Water 2060 plan.

With this new plan, and further uptake of new programs and technologies, RCC and this region could become leaders in innovative water management that does not rely on outdated, expensive and risky solutions. I hope that in the near future RCC will review the rules governing its application of water restrictions during dry times and implement an advanced water efficiency program. These initiatives could significantly reduce the demands placed on new supply sources, and this would greatly reduce the tensions that have divided the community.

The recent talk at Primex Field Day by Rous’ Future Water Project Manager, Michael McKenzie, (www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnrS98ECd2Y) explains the numerous scalable and cost-effective options that RCC is now pursuing. He also provides clear rebuttal of the misinformation circulated recently by a local pro-dam lobby group. It is a pity those who signed the pro-dam group’s petition and submission forms did not access the information provided by RCC.

With the local government elections coming up in September, candidates will have to show that they are fully across the new direction for water security in this region. Anyone proposing a return to ‘big new dam’ options will be a laughing stock.



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Nimbin village boil water alert lifted, but remains for outskirts

After just over a month, Lismore City Council say the boil water alert for the village of Nimbin has been lifted, effective immediately. Yet these living in the outskirts of the village, a boil water alert is still in place.

Social homes completed in Casino – what else is in the pipeline?

With 17 new ‘social housing’ dwellings being announced for Casino, what other similar projects are underway in the Northern Rivers?

Kyogle petition calls to restore daytime train service to Brisbane

A Kyogle petition with more than 1,000 signatures is calling on ‘key stakeholders and policymakers’ to provide a ‘practical daytime train service’ to Brisbane, with claims that the current train service, which leaves at 3am and returns at 8am, is 'inconvenient and frustrating’.

Wanted: citizen scientists to check on our creeks

The Richmond River upper catchment is currently sitting on a C- in the Richmond River Ecological Health Report Card. It's not a number we can accept without doing something about it.