NSW Breaking News
STATE-FIRST STRATEGY TO SECURE FUTURE OF NSW GROUNDWATER
STATE-FIRST STRATEGY TO SECURE FUTURE OF NSW GROUNDWATER
The NSW Government today released the draft NSW Groundwater Strategy, the state’s first-ever long-term roadmap for the sustainable management of its vast and precious groundwater resources.
Kaia Hodge, Executive Director Water Strategy and Policy for the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, said the strategy will be on display until 14 August giving the community an opportunity to have its say.
“Groundwater is essential to the people, businesses and environment of NSW, and this strategy will ensure our communities have the groundwater resources they need into the long-term future,” Ms Hodge said.
“More than 250 regional towns across our state rely on groundwater for their day-to-day water needs.
“Groundwater directly contributes nearly $1 billion to our yearly economy by supporting the agricultural sector and other industries, and groundwater supplies close to 10 per cent of NSW’s drinking water.
“First Nations people and Aboriginal communities also have deep cultural and social connections to groundwater, which plays a key role in their caring for Country.
“This is a vital resource that we need to manage sustainably and protect, especially as we face challenges like a more variable climate, and more pressure on our resources as our towns and cities continue to grow, particularly off the back of the pandemic.”
The draft NSW Groundwater Strategy is a priority action under the NSW Water Strategy and builds on 30 years of world-leading groundwater management, further refining the state’s existing and robust groundwater framework.
Using the latest available science, it will set the strategic direction for groundwater management over the next 20 plus years, putting actions in place to secure its continuing quality and supply.
It will also bolster recognition of Aboriginal people’s rights to access and use groundwater, and for the first time, culturally significant and valuable sites that are groundwater-dependent will be recognised and protected.
“Our state has more than 450 groundwater sources from which more than 3,000 billion litres of water could be extracted for use every year – including for cultural use, critical needs, and town water supply. That’s 1.2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water,” Ms Hodge said.
“About 6.5 million hectares, or about eight per cent of the state’s land surface, contains valuable ecosystems which are dependent on groundwater – including many wetlands, springs and lakes that support our unique plant and animal species.
“But some of these sources are becoming more vulnerable, especially as water from rivers becomes scarcer as our climate changes.
“We must act now to future-proof these precious resources, and I urge all members of the community and stakeholders to have their say to help us finalise the strategy.”
The draft NSW Groundwater Strategy will be on display from 5 July to 14 August. As part of the exhibition process there will be webinars held during July.
For more information and to register your attendance visit: https://water.dpie.nsw.gov.au/plans-and-programs/nsw-groundwater-strategy
‘Don’t Forget Us!’ say Bungawalbyn, Woodburn and Coraki Residents.
By Kate Coxwell.
The Resilient Homes Program, which was created to provide assistance to home owners to restore and flood protect their homes and lives from future events has rejected over 5000 of the applicants out of just over 6000 in total, resulting in a rally which last weekend saw the Clarence electorate, Woodburn, Coraki, Bungawalbin, Broadwater, Wardell and surrounding rural townships came out in force, back to the bridge where National media had filmed them stranded, in the floods, nearly 18 months ago.
$750 million dollars of promised flood recovery funds seemingly disappeared the week prior, and over 5000 residents affected by floods were called by Service NSW staff to say “you are ineligible” as the NRRC also released new flood zone maps excluding the 2022 data and itself dissolved within days in the same week, the buck now stopping with the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Authority.
The Resilient Homes Program, which was created to provide assistance to home owners to restore and flood protect their homes and lives from future events has rejected over 5000 of the applicants out of just over 6000 in total, resulting in a rally which last weekend saw the Clarence electorate, Woodburn, Coraki, Bungawalbin, Broadwater, Wardell and surrounding rural townships came out in force, back to the bridge where National media had filmed them stranded, in the floods, nearly 18 months ago.
Arguably, these communities were the hardest hit, with some residents being stranded for over 3 weeks with no access in or out, some stranded for 6 in the worst hit areas of Bungawalbyn, and no one other than their own community, coming to provide life saving medical and supply runs of food and water. This community says it is still feeling forgotten, as many homes, being classed as rural, have been made automatically ineligible, while some others, where water reached the ceiling fans, due to the new mapping, deemed ‘safe’.
With over 300 people attending the rally, standing across the span of the Woodburn Bridge, it was very well attended. Local MP’s Janelle Saffin (State for Lismore) and Richie Williamson (State for Clarence) as well as Mayor Robert Mustow.
In an address to the crowd MP Richie Williamson said “This is a humanitarian crisis we are dealing with, the Premier agreed. We need to do better- the Government, the politicians-everyone in the decision-making chain needs to do better.”
Whilst MP Janelle Saffin said “You say you feel forgotten. I have not forgotten you. It was an inland tsunami. Despite not representing Woodburn, you are in my heart!”
Both MP’s and the Mayor were supportive of the Tranch 2 funding proposed, and had recently attended Sydney, speaking to Parliament as a group, about the needs of the community.
One member of the Coraki community recalled “how even in the second major 2022 flood, there was only 2 SES on that day, despite all warnings and extra support sent from around the State, we were forgotten, and the community who had been helping us with supplies, people who live among us who had also lost everything, they were the ones who came, with emergency medical supplies, food and assistance for those trapped again.”
Lyndall Murray from the Hands and Hearts Project, a project which has come together to do what the Government simply hasn’t, and that is to restore 100 homes, with their small team of 16 volunteers, said “The Hands and Hearts Project is doing what the Government won’t. The NRRC decision broke my heart.”
This time, the community is coming together to say “We count- Don’t Forget us!” and has formed a petition, asking for all who care about them to sign it. The petition can be found here: www.dontforgetus.com.au
To see more news on the 2022 floods, please see our other recent posts.
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