Lismore homes damaged by storm water flooding from Ballina Rd

Storm water from Ballina Rd is cascading into properties, causing thousands of dollars worth of property damage. Watch Lismore’s backyard ‘Niagara Falls’.

Delma Rigby is not happy after rain runoff from Ballina Rd caused over $60k property damage to her home.

Storm water from Ballina Rd is flash flooding streets in Lismore every time there’s heavy rain, causing structural and property damage, according to homeowners.

Rain run-off not caught by storm water drains has been cascading down the hill and inundated houses on Ubrihien, Sherwood, Pound and Dibbs streets.

Delma Rigby is not happy after rain run-off from Ballina Rd caused over $60k worth of property damage to her home.

Delma Rigby, a resident of Sherwood Drive that sits below Ballina Rd, said rain run-off has been getting progressively worse over time, culminating in about $64,000 in damage to her property.

“When I was talking to the council people about this, they said ‘everyone’s responsible for their own water’,” Ms Rigby said.

“Well, I don’t mind my own water but this is bloody Niagara Falls for God’s sake.”

After Ms Rigby and her husband had to repair and replace three rooms that were damaged, they dug a trench along the back fence to try and stop the water coming into the house.

Water damage at Delma Rigby's home.

But it’s just been shifting chairs on the Titanic, she said.

“It’s defeated me,” she said. “Since December last year I’ve had water under my house five times.”

“Whatever (Lismore City Council is) doing is just not adequate.”

After contacting council multiple times, Ms Rigby took matters into her own hands.

She took to the street and started door knocking for a petition to council.

Of 55 people in the surrounding streets that see inundation from rain run-off from Ballina road, 23 homeowners had experienced property damage from storm water.

Ubrihien St, where Khalie Anthony and her fiancé Dan Grace live, is on the front lines of the inundation that pours down from Ballina Rd.

They have two drainage pits at the top of their property just below Ballina Rd, but these quickly become overwhelmed with the rain run-off.

“They just overflow and inundate our yard and house … and then we literally have waterfalls,” Ms Anthony said.

Khalie Anthony and her fiance Dan Grace.

The walls in the ground level of their home can have a “torrent” of water spraying through the bricks, Ms Anthony said.

Two carpeted rooms, a kitchen and a garage have all been left almost uninhabitable, riddled with mould, and thousands of dollars of personal possessions destroyed.

“We made the very conscious effort not to buy in a flood zone and now like six years later, we‘re stuck with this,” she said.

Property damage to Khalie Anthony's home on Ubrihien St Lismore.

Lismore City Council maintains Ballina Rd/Bruxner Hwy and its gutters and drains, but being a main arterial road, it is owned by the state government, general manager John Walker said.

“Unfortunately, during periods of heavy rainfall, which we have had lately, the amount of stormwater run-off exceeds the capacity of the gutters and drains on this road. This directly affects some residents on Sherwood Drive,” Mr Walker said.

“Council has been working with Transport for NSW to resolve the excessive stormwater issue on the state government-owned road.”

A Transport NSW spokesperson said the state government is aware of the issue and is continuing to work with Lismore City Council to assess drainage in the area.

“TfNSW immediately prioritised emergency repair work following the floods earlier this year,” the spokesperson said.

“Maintenance, including inspection and repair work, has continued and we remain focused on repairs to drainage infrastructure in the region.”

On behalf of TfNSW, council has carried out investigations including a site survey, CCTV and flushing out of the drainage system to remove any debris or blockages, Mr Walker said.

“The collated data from the investigations is currently being analysed by vdesign engineers to identify potential improvements that can be made to increase the functionality of the drainage system.”