For the last nine days, the focus has been on who will be the mayor of Lismore and which ten councillors will make up the Lismore City Council.

As we now know, Steve Krieg has been returned as mayor, and the council will consist of 6 Krieg, 2 Greens, 2 Labor, and Big Rob.

Counting is a lot closer in other councils, such as Ballina and Byron Bay as preferences look to decide the final outcomes.

Those results will have an effect on the councillor make up of Rous County Council (RCC) and the future of the Dunoon Dam.

RCC is made up of 2 councillors from each council, so two from Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay and Richmond Valley.

The balance of RCC determines if Dunoon is on or off the table. During the previous term of council (pre-2021), councillors voted to remove it as a water security option. Then, after the 2021 elections, councillors voted to include the Dunoon Dam in the available options.

Lismore and Richmond Valley look likely to vote for two conservative councillors to sit on RCC. Byron Bay is looking likely to have two Greens or 1 Green and 1 Labor as the councillor counting looks to be 3 Greens, 2 Labor, with 2/3 Independents. That would generally mean a vote against any Dunoon Dam option. However, last term The Greens Sarah Ndiaye did vote for the inclusion of the Dunoon Dam and land acquisition when it becomes available for sale.

Ballina has returned Sharon Cadwallader with an increased majority as mayor. The rest of Ballina Council is made up of three different wards: A, B, and C. In what looks to be a close battle that will go to preferences for Ward A and B, The Greens look likely to have three seats, Labor one, and five Independents.

The Ballina vote for its two RCC representatives may well decide the Dunoon Dam outcome for the next four years. The scenario could even become ridiculous because if there was a 4/4 vote to see who becomes Chair of the RCC meetings, each name would go into a hat, and a draw would take place—that is, if the same practice continues as the previous term. The Chair, like the mayor, would have the deciding vote if votes were split on any particular issue.

The results of which councillors are endorsed to be on RCC will be decided at the first council meeting in October. For Lismore, that is Tuesday, October 15.

To be clear, all recent votes just put the Dunoon Dam back on the table, so one of four options. The other three options include a desalination plant on the coast, recycled water (or toilet-to-tap as some call it) and aquifers (underground water). It does not mean that the Dunoon Dam will definitely be built.

Water security will be a much talked about topic in the next four years. It may even be mentioned in the same breath as the CSIRO Flood Report in June 2025 and when the various flood mitigation options are released in 2026.

Watch this space.