Ballina’s Mayor Sharon Cadwallader used a mayoral minute in the last Ballina Council meeting to sing the praises of the Northern Rivers Watershed Initiative (NRWI), which was developed in 2019 in response to community concerns about river health and natural flood management techniques across the Northern Rivers.
Cr Cadwallader described the NRWI as a catchment and estuary restoration program designed to address ecosystem health, water security and flood risk issues across the Tweed, Brunswick, Richmond and Evans River systems.
‘The Northern Rivers Watershed Initiative is based on a holistic approach to the management of water within the catchments, which will utilise modern best practice approaches in catchment modelling and natural flood mitigation to target improvements in stream bank condition and river health that all contribute to reduced flood risk within the catchments,’ she said.
‘The initiative is a strategy that requires large scale investment in catchment works in upper catchment areas that restore natural hydrologic functions, delivering both improvements in stream bank condition and river health, and also contributing to reduced flood risk within the catchment.’
Mayor Cadwallader said the NRWI would also involve implementation of coastal zone management actions to address high priority estuarine health issues, delivering a range of environmental, social and economic benefits.’
She said the program of works for the next two years would include soil health improvements, riparian restoration, catchment revegetation, redesigned flood plain drainage, landscaping ‘and everything else in between’.
Saffin successful
Mayor Cadwallader noted that Lismore MP Janelle Saffin had successfully lobbied for $5 million to fund the initial stages of the NRWI, to be split across the relevant LGAs, including Ballina, with $450,000 to go to North Coast Local Land Services and Rous County Council to receive $2.3 million.
She noted that community surveys showed that Ballina residents highly rated the need to do something about the health of the Richmond River catchment, but that it was a complex issue with no quick fixes.
‘There’s some land acquisitions that will need to take place in poor quality farmland right up in the Tuckean Swamp area, but the answer lies in the wide scale catchment restoration to return areas to their natural ecosystem,’ said Cr Cadwallader.
Progressive councillors appeared pleasantly surprised by the mayor’s environmental enthusiasm, and then asked what the implications of the NRWI were for the removal of the Bagotville Barrage (installed in 1971, this is a one-way structure upstream of Ballina on the Richmond system that excludes tidal exchange and prevents backwater flooding, lowering the water table and exposing highly acidic soils to oxygen).
There have been a number of major fish kills in and around this area.
What will happen to the barrage?
When Cr Kiri Dicker asked if it was now proposed that the barrage be removed, the mayor sent that question straight to GM Paul Hickey, who confirmed that the barrage was a Rous asset, but seemed vague about the details of a review looking into its future, beyond deciding to leave it in place for now.
Mayor Cadwallader, who is also on Rous County Council, then said, ‘Yes, it was investigated, but it was decided that removing the barrage would be detrimental’. Cr Therese Crollick attempted to add some information on the subject, but was prevented from doing so by Cr Phil Meehan on a point of order.
Councillors voted unanimously to support Cr Cadwallader’s mayoral minute.
More stories about Ballina Shire Council:
Twelve Northern Rivers residents are celebrating the completion of a groundbreaking program designed to build essential skills and unlock employment pathways for women in civil construction. With local government meeting practice across the state returning to confusion following the NSW Legislative Council's recent decision, Ballina Shire Council's last meeting included a lot of unanimous decisions and an argument about the remnants of the Big Scrub, in which Mayor Cadwallader used her casting vote to squash Cr Simon Chate's motion. Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has approved Ballina Shire Council's application to increase its general income through a permanent special variation (SV) of 26.25% [in rates] over four years, from 2026-27 to 2029-30. Byron Greens members could expect to be asked to take the future of the Richmond River further south into account when choosing a candidate for next year’s state election. Local business owners in the Alstonville and Wollongbar townships are being encouraged to take the time to read through Ballina Shire Council’s draft plans, which are currently on exhibition.
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