Stormwater pump station project starts in Tweed, Murwillumbah
Construction has commenced on a new stormwater pump on the North Coast, a move set to allay flooding fears for residents – but a local business owner says the flash project can’t flush all the problems away.
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Construction has commenced on a new stormwater pump on the North Coast, a move set to allay flooding fears for Tweed Shire residents – but a local business owner says the flash project can’t flush all the problems away.
Located behind the levee at Murwillumbah (Brothers) Leagues Club, works on the $1.626 million stormwater pump station started on May 9.
Two new two metre pumps will be capable of flushing almost 1000 litres of stormwater per second at full speed to improve flood mitigation in the affected township, which was hit hard in the devastating northern NSW floods in 2022.
The project is being undertaken by Tweed Shire Council in partnership with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Reconstruction Authority (RA) and the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Richmond MP Justine Elliot said the project will “boost flood resilience” and was an example of how government funding could support communities to improve flood protection following the 2022 flood events, which proved catastrophic for Lismore but with widespread impacts across the Tweed Shire.
“The NRRRP is delivering real projects in the Tweed which are local priorities and will ensure communities like Murwillumbah are in a better position to recover from future severe weather events,” she said.
Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry said the pump would not eliminate all flooding but would reduce the frequency and magnitude of nuisance flooding due to regular storm events.
“While we can’t stop flooding from occurring, the pumps will significantly improve drainage of the area following a rain event, helping to reduce the impact of flooding on local residents and Brothers Leagues Club in the future,” she said.
Murwillumbah Leagues Club Chairman Clint O’Keefe said the club was “an intrinsic part of the fabric of Murwillumbah life” for match days and social gatherings.
“This pump station means we will be able to get back to normal operations a lot quicker after a big rain event,” he said.
The stormwater pump is expected to take three months to complete.
Local business owner Anthony McDonald, of Aura Gardens, said the 2022 floods in Murwillumbah were “pretty destructive” leaving him no choice but to close for a period of time to recover.
“We had knee high water throughout the entire nursery and I lost about 20 per cent of my stock as a result,” he said.
Mr McDonald understands the stormwater pump would assist in flash flooding scenarios but would not “mitigate major flooding events”.
“I know there’s a few projects happening but we are still painfully slow with flood recovery and I think there definitely needs to be more government funding put towards a quicker, more substantial recovery after such devastation,” he said.
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