Reconstruction

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The workstream will identify an approach for the long-term adaptation of critical infrastructure needed to support resilient, productive and sustainable communities in the Northern Rivers.

The Infrastructure Recovery and Coordination Program and Critical Infrastructure Adaptation Program will help deliver these outcomes.

Infrastructure Recovery and Coordination Program

The Infrastructure Recovery and Coordination Program includes the Infrastructure Coordination Office (ICO), which was established to work with NSW Government agencies and local government to help coordinate the recovery of critical infrastructure across the region.

There are over 2500 infrastructure projects across the 7 Northern Rivers LGAs that have been prioritised for delivery to balance community need and regional supply chain constraints. The NSW Reconstruction Authority works with all Northern Rivers Councils and government agencies to identify risks to deliver and implement initiatives and policies to fast track the recovery efforts across the region.

The Resilient Land Program and Resilient Homes Program are major program enablers for the future delivery of critical infrastructure, such as water and wastewater connectivity with the supply of residential land, home retrofitting, repair and raising.

The pipeline of work is currently being delivered across the 7 LGAs by Local Council and State agencies. If you are a registered business and interested in getting involved in the delivery of the infrastructure projects across the region, you can find a list of each individual procurement platforms (PDF 132.83KB) where you will be able to access current tenders and guidelines to support your applications.

Critical Water and Wastewater Recovery

The NSW Reconstruction Authority is delivering key public infrastructure support programs in the Northern Rivers, including the $145 million Critical Water and Wastewater Recovery Program.

Road Condition Assessment Program

The NSW Reconstruction Authority has completed a whole of region thematic condition mapping and subsequent repair prioritisation for over 6500km of sealed roads within the 7 LGAs.

Worker Accommodation

The NSW Reconstruction Authority is coordinating a program of work to increase accommodation available in the Northern Rivers for the temporary workforce in order to accelerate the regions flood rebuild without increasing the competition faced by local residents for scarce local housing stock.

Critical Infrastructure Adaptation Program

The Critical Infrastructure Adaptation Program will assess critical infrastructure assets across the region to understand their exposure and vulnerability to natural hazard risk.

The program will identify region-wide, local, and asset-level mitigation and adaptation strategies for each asset, and develop a place-based, approach to deliver any investment needed to mitigate and adapt to this hazard risk. This work is underpinned by the region-wide All Hazard Risk Assessment.

Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is supporting the region to drive long-term resilience through the Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program (NRRRP). This $150 million program includes 36 flood mitigation and resilience projects across seven local government areas (LGAs) impacted by the devastating February and March 2022 flood events.

NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) is responsible for delivering these projects across all seven local government areas in the Northern Rivers region – Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed.

The flood mitigation and resilience projects will provide:

improved evacuation routes, community flood risk awareness and recovery services across the region
improved drainage in the townships of Byron Bay, Coraki, Grafton, Lismore, Murwillumbah, South Golden Beach, Suffolk Park and Woodburn
new infrastructure such as widened flood channels across the region, raised bridges and roads
nature-based flood mitigation solutions across the region
technical investigations and studies to help better understand the flood risk and identify future infrastructure options.

The 2023-2024 Delivery Strategy for the program can be reviewed here. Further information by project can be found below.

Tranche 1 projects

Project number	Project title	NEMA stream	LGA	Funding
1	Regional community flood risk awareness	Stream 1 - Increasing flood risk awareness	Regional	$3,000,000
2	Regional Floor Level Surveys	Stream 1 - Increasing flood risk awareness	Regional	$800,000
3	Regional evacuation route and infrastructure assessment program	Stream 1 - Increasing flood risk awareness	Regional	$1,200,000
4	SGB Flood Pump Generator	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Byron	$183,447
5	Install box culverts through levee near North Street Grafton	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Clarence Valley	$615,734
6	Combined upgrades to pumps and pump stations (7 sub-projects)	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Lismore	$22,563,809
7	Electrify/install SCADA to replace tractor pump	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Lismore	$2,620,651
8	Fibre connect all flood pump stations	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Lismore	$1,310,326
9	Mechanical trash racks at all 3 major pump station inlets	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Lismore	$3,275,814
10	New Pump System within East Murwillumbah Levee	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Tweed	$1,461,114
11	New Low flow pump Lavender Creek and CBD	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Tweed	$969,106
12	Dairy Flat road improvements	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Richmond Valley	$4,224,040
13	Thearles Canal culvert upgrade	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Richmond Valley	$1,478,414
14	Earthworks across Lot 4 on Quarry Rd	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Tweed	$942,480
15	Additional Wharf St Pump Capacity	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Tweed	$2,355,065
16	Community-led Resilience Teams (facilitated by the Red Cross)	Stream 4 - Regional and local economic adaptation	Regional	$3,000,000

Tranche 2 projects

Project number	Project title	NEMA stream	LGA	Funding
17	Develop agricultural levee guidance	Stream 2 - Nature based solutions	Ballina	$200,000
18	Upgrade Coogera Circuit Detention	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Byron	$550,000
19	Investigate flood free access to Junction Hill (Grafton) via The Summerland Way	Stream 1 - Increasing flood risk awareness	Clarence Valley	$35,000
20	Review internal drainage strategy (Maclean)	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Clarence Valley	$100,000
21	Construct stock mounds	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Clarence Valley	$500,000
22	Interconnection of pump stations	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Clarence Valley	$550,000
23	Improve condition of Coraki and Woodburn town drains	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Richmond Valley	$150,000
24	Revitalise South and East Lismore Town Drains	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Lismore	$210,000
25	Investigate Options for South Golden Beach Flood Gate Upgrades	Stream 1 - Increasing flood risk awareness	Byron	$30,000
26	Tatham bridge raising	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Richmond Valley	$18,000,000
27	Addressing data gaps in Floor Level recording	Stream 1 - Increasing flood risk awareness	Richmond Valley	$50,000
28	Widen Browns Creek flood channel, culvert and re-route services currently restricting flow at Brewster Street	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Lismore	$1,000,000
29	Caring for Our Catchments	Stream 2 - Nature based solutions	Regional	$5,450,000
30	Heal Our Rivers	Stream 2 - Nature based solutions	Regional	$6,200,000
31	Public Proposal - Lismore Flood Mitigation, Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Lismore	$500,000
32	Detailed evacuation procedures	Stream 1 - Increasing flood risk awareness	Tweed	$35,000
33	Alma St modification	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Tweed	$900,000
34	New pump systems behind Dorothy St	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Tweed	$1,200,000
35	Evacuation Route Raising - Comprises Ballina Island and west Ballina	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Ballina	$40,000,000
36	Preferred Byron Drainage Strategy Construction	Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure	Byron	$11,800,000

Local delivery partnerships

RA is responsible for administration and delivery of the NRRRP in accordance with the Emergency Response Fund Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program 2022-23 - Federation Funding Agreement.

Projects will be delivered in a partnership between RA and delivery partners, including councils and non-government organisations such as the Australian Red Cross Society, Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation and North Coast Regional Landcare Network.