There have been 26 reports over 30 years telling us that the Richmond River is in poor condition with degraded water quality from animal containments, chemicals and general environmental degradation. The NSW government has announced two grants to Rous County Council (RCC) to assess coastal and estuary management.
The condition of the Richmond River has meant that native freshwater fish like the Eastern Freshwater Cod have become extinct in the Richmond River and efforts to try to reestablish them have been slow and challenging.
Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said the two grant programs are being funded under the planning stream of the 2023-24 Coastal and Estuary Grants program.
The program supports councils in mapping coastal hazards, restoring degraded coastal habitats, and improving the health of NSW estuaries, wetlands and littoral rainforests.
The Richmond River Tidal Inundation Assessment is a $40,000 grant to start Stage 2 of developing a tidal inundation hazards assessment for the Richmond River Estuary. This assessment will inform management options to improve the health of the estuary.
The second grant of $260,00 will support an assessment of the Richmond River Bank and Riparian Condition and aims to develop a riverbank and riparian condition assessment. This has been identified as critical to developing management responses to mitigate source water pollution in the estuary.
‘I welcome this funding to support Rous County Council to map and plan projects needed to better protect our river estuaries,’ said Ms Saffin.
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