Much has been written about the recent fish kill in the Richmond River, the possible causes and solutions.
That we are still having these discussions, many years after the detailed reports on the shocking health of the river were published, is extremely disappointing.
Such an ad hoc approach is not going to deliver the comprehensive and concerted effort required to deal with all of the river’s woes – massive silt loadings, farm chemicals, fertilisers, urban pollution – not just ‘black water’.
This approach will not improve the overall water quality, but also creates opportunity for some of the more cynical and selfish stakeholder groups to call for specific actions that benefit them, such as the opening of the Tuckombil Canal and/or the construction of a further such canal at Boundary Creek, near Broadwater – under the guise of fixing the problem.
If I lived at Evans Head I wouldn’t want more of their putrid water but less, and preferably none at all.
The Australian government has established, and published, a Water Quality Management Framework based on ten steps that provides a structured approach to improving water quality by involving water quality managers and the community.
To be successful, it is critical that there is a good scientific understanding of the impact of human activities on our river, that our community has a collective vision for a healthy river, and the desire for it to be restored. It is my belief that we have this.
What is lacking is the political and collective will to take this matter seriously and dedicate the resources required to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to actually deal with the causes and restore the health of our river.
My experience suggests that this will only happen if the state and federal governments step in and make it happen – as they did for the Great Barrier Reef.
Perhaps we should make this an election issue for our region.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
