The big kicker in the CSIRO flood report for Ballina is the trade-off. A new outlet to the sea at Broadwater would reduce flooding. There is no doubt about that and we know that the river did just that in 1890.

While public meetings have concluded around the CSIRO’s flood report, the dust is is anything but settled around the proposal to establish up to 10 mega-dams upstream of Lismore to mitigate future floods. 

Public backlash is continuing to grow around a CSRIO report suggesting that flood mitigation upstream of Lismore could be addressed with up to ten mega detention dams. A packed Lismore meeting was held yesterday.

The inclusion of a recent controversial CSIRO Richmond River flood report into Lismore City Council’s Flood Risk Management Plan has been defended by Mayor Steve Kreig, with him telling ABC North Coast, ‘It’s about having the most up to date scientific info and preparing for future flooding events’.