Tweed Shire expects to start rolling out water restrictions within next few weeks and rest of the Northern Rivers region likely to be following its lead sooner rather than later

NSWDPI Combined Drought Indicator (CDI) mapping, 23 September 2023. CDI = Combined Drought Indicator. RI = Rainfall Index. SWI = Soil Water Index. PGI = Pasture Growth Index. DDI = Drought Direction Index

Click on map to enlarge

There are 19 large dams on NSW regional regulated rivers and hundreds of smaller dams, reservoirs & weirs associated with a mix of environmental use, off-farm agricultural and urban water storage on other rivers.

Across the seven local government areas in the Northern Rivers region water storage locations include:

Toonumbar Dam

Rocky Creek Dam

Clarrie Hall Dam

Emmigrant Creek Dam

Korrumbyn Creek Dam

Shannon Creek Dam

Bray Park weir

Tyalgum weir

Mullumbimby Power Station weir

Jambour weir

Kyogle weir

Nymboida weir

Rushforth Road 100ML Reservoir.

Tweed Shire Council is strongly alerting its residents and ratepayers as to the current situation and what may lie ahead.

The Echo, 27 September 2023:

Following the devastating floods of 2022 we are back to dry weather. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has declared an El Nino weather pattern and it has predicted that there will be less-than-average rainfall in the Northern Rivers this year. Tweed Council is reminding residents and visitors that it is important to save water as we head into dry weather.

‘Without significant rain, the Tweed will head into water restrictions, with restrictions for Tyalgum looking likely in the next few weeks,’ said Tweed Shire Council’s (TSC) water and wastewater business and assets manager Michael Wraight.

‘We source our water from the Tweed River at Bray Park and Uki, plus the Oxley River at Tyalgum. The river flows are down and the weir pools at Bray Park and Tyalgum are drying up.

‘While Clarrie Hall Dam is currently sitting at 98 per cent capacity, it will now drop about 1 to 1.5 per cent, per week, as we start releasing water to supply the Bray Park Weir – the source of water for most of the Shire.

‘We will trigger level 1 water restrictions when the Clarrie Hall Dam level drops to 85 per cent.

‘Restrictions at Tyalgum will be introduced sooner. The flow of the Oxley River at Tyalgum is down to a trickle and the weir pool there is dropping fast.’

Image of the Month

Lighting up the dunes near Wanda Beach, Cronulla, NSW

ahead of the 14 October 2023 national referendum asking the question:

"A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

Do you approve this proposed alteration?”

via @slsandpet, X/Twitter, 24 September 2023

Cartoon of the Week

 

First Dog On The Moon via @cecenviro

 

Richmond Valley Council has refused the development application at 59 Rileys Hill Road, Broadwater, due to flood risk

Sometimes it is hard to believe the evidence of one's own eyes when looking at development plans lodged with local councils. 

This was one of those times, with property owner Broadwater Riley Pty Ltd ATF The Broadwater Riley Unit Trust and developers The Trustee for Cromack Family Trust and Others having lodged a document DA2023/0100 in December 2022 seeking consent to create 60 Torrens Title residential building lots on land which less than nine months before had been under a record amount of flood water.

The proposed development from the DA. IndyNR, 11 January 2023

IndyNR.com, 27 September 2023:

The first meeting of Rileys Hill residents opposing the development on January 10, 2023.

Resident Jemma Donnelly is thrilled that the development of 60 blocks on Rileys Hill Road will not go ahead.

Richmond Valley Council has refused the development application at 59 Rileys Hill Road, Broadwater.

“This is a fantastic response and shows that Richmond Valley Council has listened and taken into consideration the community’s concerns and has acknowledged the significant risks this proposed development puts on the existing community and the environmental impacts,” Ms Donnelly said.

“This development is not in the public interest and is not suitable for development due to flood risk.”

During the floods in February–March last year, the site was underwater.

The development site was zoned residential in 1972.

The next logical step would be for the council to rezone the land to agricultural, Ms Donnelly said.

“So that the current or next developer does not continue to propose future development.”…..

The developer has a right to appeal the decision within six months.

It should be noted that this refusal by Council also removes any need to clear-fell the remaining roadside tree corridor - a fact that is welcomed by those concerned with the plight of koala in urban areas of north-east NSW.

Newspoll published Monday 25 September 2023: a curate's egg, good in parts

 

Newspoll published 25 September 2023:

24 September 2023

VOTING INTENTION PRIMARY VOTE

Labor – 36 points (+1)

Coalition – 36 points (-1)

Greens – 11 points (-2)

One Nation – 6 points (-1)

Others – 11 points (+3)

VOTING INTENTION TWO-PARTY PREFERRED (TPP)

Labor – 54 points (+1)

Coalition – 46 points (-1)

Click on graph to enlarge

BETTER PM

Anthony Albanese – 50 points (no change)

Peter Dutton – 30 points (-1)

APPROVAL/DISAPPROVAL RATING

Anthony Albanese – Approve 47 points (+1)

                                   Disapprove 44 points (-3)

Peter Dutton – Approve 32 points (-6)

      Disapprove 52 points (+3)

      Net Approval -20 points

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament Referendum Voting Intention

YES – 36 points (-2 )

NO – 56 points (+3 )

UNDECIDED – 8 points (-1)

Tweet of the Week

Some parodies just beg to be written ...others sorta demand like a terrorist 🤣 a few minutes ago it was "oh come ON you know you wanna....i deserves it!..go on i DARE ya....write me and tweet it..." so being a softie i gave in. "Workin for the man...oops i mean dole" 🙄 pic.twitter.com/7XSZgCAAuc

— Glenno and Ruben (@mad6duck) September 23, 2023

North Coast Voices Notice To Readers

 

Due to illness North Coast Voices will not be posting until 28 September 2023.

Apologies to our readers.