On Tuesday, the Lismore App ran a story about who owns and operates the various gauges in our river systems (Rain gauges: how many are working and who looks after them?).

Basically, we have two organisations, the Lismore City Council (LCC) and the Bureau Of Meteorology with LCC clearly operating the most gauges in the catchment (15 stream gauges and 14 rain gauges).

The story went on to say that LCC had applied twice for funding for seven (7) new river gauges from the NSW Government Floodplain Management Program with those applications rejected both times.

The Lismore App went looking for answers as to why the new river gauges were knocked back considering how important flood warning systems are for Lismore after the clear failure earlier this year.

A spokesperson for the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) said, "The NSW and Commonwealth Governments have jointly funded the Flood Recovery and Resilience Package, which includes funding for flood warning systems, such as new flood warning service locations, new and upgraded rain and river gauges to improve reliability and visibility, improvements to data management and community awareness where changes occur. The Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) has met with Lismore City Council to discuss this new funding source and will continue to work with Council in the new year.

"Additionally, DPE is responsible for administering the Floodplain Management Program which provides technical and financial support to local councils and eligible public land managers to help them understand and manage flood risk in their communities. Under the 2021-22 funding round, more than $10 million was awarded to local councils and other authorities to undertake 50 projects to assess the risks and reduce the impacts of flooding across the state.

"The Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) is actively working with Lismore City Council as a priority to support them in understanding the impacts of flood events and to consider Council for further flood management funding.

"Local councils are required to have a current floodplain management plan in place in order for implementation grant applications to be assessed by the independent committee. This ensures floodplain management actions undertaken by councils with state government funding will effectively manage future flood risks. In 2021, Lismore City Council was awarded $95,104 to help them update their floodplain risk management study. The plan is yet to be completed, however this plan is expected to be completed by Council by September 2023."

"Once complete, Lismore City Council’s independently-assessed floodplain management plan will enable Council to re-apply for additional flood management funding." 

So, Lismore City Council needs to update its own Floodplain Risk Management Plan as well as a number of other plans that, for one reason or another, haven't been updated for quite some time, an example is the Community Strategic Plan.

The purpose of a management study is to identify, assess and compare various risk management options. The management plan will document the decisions of Council about how flood risks in the area will be managed into the future.

Applications for grant funding are assessed by the State Flood Mitigation Assessment Committee, which includes the NSW State Emergency Service, DPE, Floodplain Management Australia, Bureau of Meteorology, and other industry representatives.

Lismore City Council General Manager John Walker gave this update.

"Lismore City Council’s current Floodplain Risk Management Plan was adopted in 2014."

"Council had been working to adopt a new plan this year. However, when the Federal Government announced the CSIRO/Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative (NRRI) regional study into flood mitigation, it was decided to amend the scope of the plan to remove flood mitigation related issues.

"Council is expected to adopt an interim plan early next year that focuses on new flood risk precincts and planning controls.

"Lismore Council has also forwarded a range of projects for funding to both the NRRI and the recently announced NSW Flood Recovery and Resilience Emergency Response Fund. Announcements on both of these initiates are expected to be made early in the new year."