Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson was in Lismore today announcing $145 million in funding to repair and upgrade critical water and sewerage infrastructure damaged in the February 28 megaflood.

The money is to be shared with Ballina, Byron, Kyogle, Richmond Valley, Tweed and the Clarence Valley but there is little doubt Lismore will get the lion's share and that $145 million will not be enough for a complete rebuild of the East Lismore Sewerage Treatment Plant, get South Lismore back up to speed and fund the other councils as well.

(Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson announcing the $145 in funding with Lismore Mayor John Walker, Richmond Valley Mayor Robert Mustow, Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader, member for Lismore Janelle Saffin and Member for Tweed Geoff Provest. Photo: Simon Mumford)

The good news, as we have heard consistently from Premier Dominic Perrottet, is there will be more money if needed.

"This is just the start, not the end, the start of the continuation of the support that's required for wastewater treatment plants and water systems right throughout the region," Minister Anderson said.

It was good that point was clarified because General Manager of Lismore City Council John Walker said he asked for $108 million from the State Government to fix Lismore's wastewater problems. $20-25 million for the South Lismore Treatment Plant with $70-80 million for East Lismore.

(Mr Provest, Mr Anderson, Ms Saffin and Mr Walker standing in front of a damaged aerating tank)

Mayor of Ballina Sharon Cadwallader said she would gladly give up some money to fix the Lismore problems because the half treated water is ending up in her waterways and causing some concerns.

"What goes into our system affects our tourism and it affects our community, Ms Cadwallader said, "There is a lot of information that we have brown sludge coming through our waterways, that is not the case. It certainly isn't cleansed to the point where it needs to be, it still has nutrients in it but it is actually clear water going into the waterways."

Mr Walker said the sewage treatment end result is still below EPA standards still but is getting closer to meeting those standards so the water going into the waterways is acceptable.

"It will take about three months to get it exactly right when we get the UV systems working, the chlorination working and final disinfection so every week it will improve."

There is a 12 step process from when raw sewage enters the plant and then leaves it via the maturation pond. Currently, the South Lismore Plant is operating 6 of those steps.

The long term plan is to move the South Lismore Treatment Plant to higher ground to flood-proof expensive equipment that went completely under following the February 28 flood like the main switchboard. That process takes approximately three years and roughly $50 million to build. Mr Walker said there is land at the East Lismore Plant that does not flood, in fact, the shed in the picture below did not flood but everything below it did.

In the meantime, some temporary work needs to be completed to not only get the water to an acceptable EPA standard but to make the plant operate more efficiently. There is no electricity to the site yet which means everything is run by massive diesel generators, one was quoted as using 1000 litres per day at a rough cost of $6,000 to $7000.

The walls of one of the aerating tanks have lifted (see photo below) so the tank needs to be completely drained before it can be repaired and put back into use.

The entire system used to be fully automated before the flood, now it involves more of a manual process adding to more operational costs.

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the funding will ensure that water infrastructure across the Northern Rivers is built back to a more resilient standard to help withstand future natural disasters.

Mr Anderson said, “Access to clean water is a basic human right. When the floods hit we stepped in to work with councils and water utilities to provide technical advice, deliver temporary repairs and other works to ensure water security for residents. With this funding we will now be able to rebuild and permanently repair this critical water infrastructure,” Mr Anderson said.

“Water supply and wastewater infrastructure services have been impacted by flooding, land slips, power failures and dirty contaminated water. 

“This funding will get services back to full capacity because the health of the community is dependent on the safe and continuous operation of water and sewerage systems.

The program will also work with Aboriginal communities and Local Aboriginal Land Councils to better understand the impact that the natural disaster has had on critical water and sewerage services for Aboriginal communities, and identify and undertake urgent works.

The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation has the power to work with councils to identify, prioritise and support projects that rejuvenate communities within the Northern Rivers area, with a particular emphasis on housing and supporting social infrastructure.

For more information on the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation go to: www.regional.nsw.gov.au/our work/NRRC