Rous County Council General Manager Phillip Rudd has made a statement thanking Rous staff and the Northern Rivers community.

On behalf of Rous, I would like to extend my thanks to the Rous staff and local businesses quietly working behind the scenes during Tropical Cyclone Alfred to help keep essential services running.

Rous’ staff worked around the clock throughout the challenges of the past two weeks to ensure our strict water treatment processes were upheld, water leaks were resolved as quickly as possible, and clean drinking water continued to flow across our region.

In the lead-up to cyclone Alfred, we prepared as much as we possibly could for a myriad of scenarios and ‘what-ifs.’

That included a crew of Rous staff who packed their bags with supplies and headed out to Nightcap Water Treatment Plant, ready to work through the cyclone to ensure water treatment continued through the challenges of flooding and power outages.

We knew from the 2022 floods that there was a strong possibility that roads could close, and that heavy rains and high turbidity in the dam would require the treatment plant to operate 24 hours a day.

The region’s water is primarily sourced from Rocky Creek Dam and treated at Nightcap Water Treatment Plant. Rous manages the catchments and water treatment plants and supplies water to councils across the Northern Rivers who then distribute it to their residents.

Rous’ water operators also worked together on a 24-hour roster, in the rain, to repair main breaks and damage on the pipeline network to keep water flowing to our customers.

Our staff have been lending a hand where they can by supporting the SES and our constituent councils.

Just like thousands of others, Rous lost power to its critical infrastructure, including the NightcapWater Treatment Plant. Fortunately, our team were there to ensure continuous operation and a smooth transition onto the backup generator.

I would also like to extend my deepest thanks to North Coast Petroleum, who made a special delivery of fuel late last week as a precautionary measure in case the treatment plant remained out of power. Their willingness to make the journey highlights their true community spirit.

I’d like to thank all of Rous’ contractors and suppliers who made a special effort to ensure we had what we needed to keep our services going for the Northern Rivers community.

Rous was fortunate, and we did not face the same complexities and challenges as other councils in the region. One unchanging truth about the Northern Rivers is that we help one another in times of need and I know the next time Rous faces bigger challenges, we will not do so on our own.

It is not just Rous and our staff who have gone above and beyond, it’s the whole Northern Rivers community. We should be proud of the way we navigated the uncertainty and challenges of the past two weeks together as a resilient community.