Critical Infrastructure
The Critical Infrastructure workstream works with relevant agencies, local authorities and the private sector to repair and recover essential assets and enabling infrastructure affected by the flooding.
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.
Project number | Project title | NEMA stream | LGA | Funding |
1 | Stream 1 - Increasing flood risk awareness | Regional | $3,000,000 | |
2 | 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 | 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 | Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure | Lismore | $2,620,651 | |
8 | Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure | Lismore | $1,310,326 | |
9 | Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure | Lismore | $3,275,814 | |
10 | Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure | Tweed | $1,461,114 | |
11 | Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure | Tweed | $969,106 | |
12 | Stream 3 - Flood risk management infrastructure | Richmond Valley | $4,224,040 | |
13 | 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 |
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.