Damaged stormwater network threaten homes, claims Lismore Drains Community Action Group

Lismore City Council acknowledged the abysmal state of the town’s storm water drains, which flood every time it rains. Read why councillors shot down a motion to lobby for government funding to fix the issue.

Electra Woolbank gives blocked Lismore drains the thumbs down.

Busted and clogged stormwater drains threaten to flood Lismore homes after “even the mildest of rain”, with Lismore Drains Community Action Group calling for council to urgently and immediately clear flood affected storm water drains.

Action group spokesman Colin Wight spoke at Tuesday’s Lismore City Council meeting, asking council what they planned to about the “deplorable” state of Lismore’s drains.

Mr Wight is a former professor of International Relations at the University of Sydney, and now heads the Lismore Drains Community Action Group on Facebook – which lobbies council on drainage maintenance.

He told councillors the current situation has come about after flood waters carried at least a metre of silt and dirt – clogging the stormwater system.

He also reminded council that they were legally obligated under the Local Government Act to adequately maintain storm water drains.

“The council should have cleaned all the drains out as part of the clear up,” he told the Northern Star. “A sensible council would have done that.”

Blocked and broken drain in Lismore. Picture: LDCAG.

LDCAG believes drains were damaged by heavy machinery in the floods clean up – and haven’t been repaired, which is creating further issues for critical city infrastructure.

“You couldn't make it up for a Monty Python sketch,” Mr Wight said.

He said the drainage problems are mostly in south, east and North Lismore – with a LDCAG petition calling for action gaining some 670 signatures.

Mr Wight said the action group had met with council, and been told the drainage issue was “significant”.

Electra Woolbank gives blocked Lismore drains the thumbs down.

“I’ve met with Janelle Saffin (state Member for Lismore). She admits it’s a major problem. She’s tried to sort it in the past for certain residents – not as a whole – but she got nowhere with it,” Mr Wight said.

“Kevin Hogan (federal member) has responded to me with an email saying it’s a major problem and he doesn't understand why it can’t be fixed.

“So everybody agrees it's a major problem – all the people with the power – but nobody is doing anything about it.”

Mr Wight said Lismore City Council had told him the issue “will remain under constant consideration”, and that drainage issues and financial assistance have been pressed with the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation.

But Mr Wight said he had been told by at least two councillors that stormwater drains weren’t seen as a priority in Lismore.

Mr Wight heads the Lismore Drains Community Action Group on Facebook.

“If you look at the Lismore council, official flood report, they mentioned water quality, they mentioned sewage – they don't mention stormwater,” he said.

“They just don't understand the place of stormwater drainage in flood mitigation.

“Which is just crazy. When you look at the research about the role that storm drains play in flood mitigation, it's just crazy.”

Lismore City Council already charges a levy for “additional stormwater management activities” of around $25 per 350 square metres to cover the cost of providing “new/additional stormwater management services” within the local government area.

Two motions were tabled at Tuesday’s council meeting addressing the issue.

Cr Vanessa Ekins’ motion to hold forums with residents in north, south and East Lismore to discuss how to improve drainage in those areas and implement community feedback, review the priority of current storm water projects and pursue “funding opportunities”, was unanimously supported.

Cr Rob said that the drainage issue should be considered as critical infrastructure, and that the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation had the power and scope to address the issue.

Cr Darlene Cook said that council had zoned and built on flat lands, and had been collecting rates for decades, but had failed to take on new technology to address the issue.

Cr Adam Guise’s motion for councillors to receive a public briefing on the current state of Lismore’s drains to provide transparency to the community, the establishment of a Your Say Lismore page for consultation, and for council to seek state and federal funding to address identified issues was defeated.

Councillors Gordon, Colby, Hall, Jensen, Bing, Rob and Krieg voted against, with Councillors Bird, Ekins, Cook and Guise voting for the motion.