The first in a series of five community meetings to identify flood mitigation options for the Richmond River catchment starts today (Thursday) at 10am at the Casino Community and Cultural Centre.

Lismore, Ballina, Woodburn and Kyogle will follow next week, on August 4, 5, 6 and 8.

The community meetings, run by the CSIRO and NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency), will determine which mitigation options to model along with the relevant councils within the Richmond River catchment area.

History shows us that over the last 155 years of official Lismore flood records, we have experienced 142 flood events (minor, moderate, major and catastrophic). Of course, the 28 February 2022 flood was the only catastrophic event, while there have been 33 major, 49 moderate and 59 minor floods over that time.

During the 155-year timeframe, there have been 3 Parliamentary Inquiries and 4 Public Inquiries, 41 Technical Studies and 2 Petitions. All of which have led to 5 mitigation solutions:

• 1971: Browns Creek Carpark
• 1976: South Lismore Levee
• 1991: Frank St Riverbank reinforcement
• 2003: CBD Levee (completed 2005)
• 2021: Airport floodway

There are other rural drains, culverts, and other urban drainage systems, but nothing of significance.

For one of the most at-risk communities in Australia, Lismore and the Northern Rivers have spent more money on inquiries and studies than on mitigation solutions.

According to the Independent Review into Commonwealth Disaster Funding, the Federal Government spends 87% on recovery programs and only 13% on mitigation.

In terms of dollars, $15.9 billion has been spent between 2018/19 and 2022/23, and is forecast to grow to $40.3 billion by 2050.

The $11.2 million given to the CSIRO for the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative is clearly the best investment the Federal Government has made in terms of discovering potential flood mitigation options for a flood-prone region.

The CSIRO Richmond River Catchment hydrodynamic model has been painstakingly built over the last two years by Jai Vaze and his team. It is regarded as world-leading.

The 7,000 square kilometre catchment has been divided into 10.2 million triangular grids, the LiDar and river bathymetry data have been captured, and the hydrodynamic model accurately reflects past floods, including 2022 and 2017.

So, the model is built; all that remains is for the two to three scenarios to be determined, with each scenario containing a number of interventions.

This is where the people of Lismore, Coraki, Woodburn, Casino, Kyogle and Ballina come into play. If we, as a community, want the best flood mitigation outcomes to be tested, then people have to show up at their respective community consultations.

You can put forward your thoughts on what engineering solutions you would like to see modelled to determine what is possible in the way of flood mitigation.

Of course, the results are unknown, and it could be that a metre or less is the best outcome, or a metre outcome may be possible through holding basins, newly created channels and new sea outlets.

The reality is that we can never stop an event like February 28 2022, or even mitigate against it. The volume of water was just too great. However, if you could take a metre off a major flood, the Lismore levee wall would not have overtopped in March 2022, 2017, 2009, 2005 and 2001.

(March 30 2022: the second flood of 11.4 metres flows through the CBD)

That would result in security for our businesses in the CBD, and for the remaining houses in low-lying areas in South Lismore and what remains of North Lismore. It could be that our local business owners could experience 1 flood in 25 years. Give any business owner those odds, and they will snap them up.

From a federal and state government perspective, the recovery money saved would be well into the billions.

The community consultation details are as follows:

• Thursday, July 31: Casino Community and Cultural Centre (35 Walker Street)
• Monday, August 4: Lismore Workers Club (231 Keen Street)
• Tuesday, August 5: Ballina Lighthouse and Lismore SLSC (Lighthouse Parade, East Ballina)
• Wednesday, August 6: Community Building Woodburn (114 River Street)
• Friday, August 8: Kyogle Community Centre (3 Bloore Street)

You can go to any event between 10am and 6pm to:

• Hear directly from CSIRO about the model and its findings
• Ask questions and engage with technical experts
• Provide input on possible flood reduction options

If Jai Vaze and his team are busy talking to other people, and time is an issue, there will be forms you can complete.

This consultation is a key step in building a list of realistic, evidence-based flood mitigation options that reflect community priorities.

Before attending, NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) encourage you to visit the NEMA website. You don’t need technical expertise for the sessions, just a willingness to share your perspective.

Can’t make it in person? You can still have your say online. Register your interest here.