THE NSW Government is continuing to support communities to recover from flooding with rehabilitation works complete on a damaged section of the Tweed River.
North Coast Local Land Services and NSW Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries partnered with Tweed Shire Council and NSW Soil Conservation Service for the project near Uki.
After flooding in 2022, Riverside Park lost up to 45 metres of vegetated riverbank that left this section of the Tweed River highly vulnerable to further degradation from future floods.
Without intervention, the channel would not have returned to its natural shape and would have continued to erode its surroundings.
Due to this severe risk of further erosion, this site was one of the region’s highest priority rehabilitation sites.
The current project has installed rock revetment along unprotected sections of riverbank and around 1,700 hardwood logs were driven into the riverbed in strategically placed rows to prevent further erosion and support the process of natural recovery.
This approach prevents further sediment loss while storing sand and gravel during future floods to rebuild historical riverbed levels.
The project site has already shown positive signs of recovery following another recent flooding event, with the restoration model an extension of the one used for North Coast Local Land Services’ award-winning Emigrant Creek site.
This project was funded by the NSW Government’s Marine Estate Management Strategy (MEMS).
MEMS was launched to protect the state’s coast and estuaries and support stronger coastal communities and industries through projects including capacity-building activities, wetland restoration, riparian fencing and replanting, road remediation and riverbank protection.
Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said:
“The NSW Government is supporting flood-affected communities in their recovery and remains committed to these efforts.
“The Marine Estate Management Strategy is one highlight program of many that are helping to restore our natural environments following the impacts of extreme weather.
“Multiple levels of government came together to deliver this positive environmental outcome for the Tweed and this reflects the importance we have on supporting communities during difficult times.
“These efforts build on our recent work in the Northern Rivers to reduce diffuse pollutants such as sediment impacting important downstream marine habitats.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery and State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said:
“The NSW Government will continue to focus on rebuilding efforts, including supporting important environmental restoration projects.
“This project supports a range of efforts by our partners across coastal NSW to mitigate impacts on the marine estate.”
Labour spokesperson for Tweed the Hon. Emily Suvaal MLC said:
“The NSW Government is committed to working with regional communities to deliver on vital disaster recovery projects.
“The Northern Rivers community will see further restoration efforts take place through the Marine Estate Management Strategy, also helping to future-proof our waterways against further flooding events.”
Tweed Shire Council Mayor Chris Cherry said:
“These works will address one of the highest priority sites for rehabilitation following severe erosion in the February – March 2022 flood event.
“Riverside Park lost up to 45 metres of well-vegetated riverbank, resulting in significant channel straightening and widening.
“This partnership will restore 700 metres of the Tweed River and protect against ongoing erosion during future flood events.”
