Ballina’s Environment News
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CSIRO NRRI Report – BES’ Ballina Community Session Summary
NEMA and CSIRO held public information sessions across the catchment (Kyogle, Casino, Ballina and Coraki) to present the findings of the June 2026 NRRI final report and receive community comment on the flood mitigation options it outlines. This note summarises the Ballina session for BES members ahead of our next general meeting.
CSIRO's Northern Rivers Flood Report: Strong Science, But Some Big Questions Remain
CSIRO's long-awaited final report on flood mitigation options for the Richmond River catchment is out. The engineering modelling behind it is genuinely rigorous – but the same can't be said for how nature-based options and the wider environmental picture were treated, and even the most ambitious option modelled still wouldn't have stopped Lismore's worst flood from breaching the CBD levee.
A Practical Plan to Save the Richmond River: BES Calls for a Farm Plan Register
The Richmond River consistently scores D grades in Ecohealth assessments, making it one of NSW's most degraded estuaries. BES has submitted a practical proposal to Ballina Shire Council: a Farm Plan Register for NSW, designed with the farming community and piloted right here on the Richmond.
The Richmond River Is Dying. A Commissioner Is the Only Way to Save It.
The Ballina Environment Society, alongside Richmond Landcare and a growing coalition of local legends and river advocates, is calling for the immediate appointment of a Richmond River Commissioner with the statutory authority and dedicated funding necessary to rescue our dying waterway.