Susanna Freymark
Community meetings have been happening upstream of Lismore since the release of the CSIRO report on flood mitigation on June 30.
The report Scenario testing and recommendations for future mitigation activities in the Richmond River catchment in the Northern Rivers region, NSW proposes building detention basins that could have cut the flood peaks at Lismore by up to 2.07m in the February 2022 flood and by up to 1.71m in the March 2022 flood.
A $3million government feasibility study for the building of 10 dams, called detention basins by CSIRO, has prompted residents to meet in Rocky Valley, Bentley, Nimbin and last week there were two meetings in Kyogle.
Dam Free Kyogle is led by Lesley Garred who has everything to lose – her house at Lynchs Creek will be underwater if the detention basin near her home is built.
Ms Garred spoke at both Kyogle meetings – the Sunday, November 1 meeting had about 80 people attend and the meeting the following evening had about 30 people.
Guest speaker Steve Posselt, who is an engineer and river advocate from Swan Bay, spoke at both meetings too.
He’s adamant the dams won’t happen.
“Estimates of the cost of the basins and other mitigation measures have been made which range from $2billion by the local federal MP to $40billion by some engineers,” Mr Posselt said.
“Recent costings, for dam walls alone, provide an indication. A rebuild of the failed Paradise Dam near Bundaberg was costed in 2024 at $4.4billion. The raising of Wyangala Dam on the Lachlan River near Cowra was considered but rejected by the NSW government in 2025 due to the cost of around $4billion.”
Ms Garred and others in Dam Free Kyogle are not prepared to sit back and do nothing . They want to be ready for anything.
They’re still waiting for detailed maps from CSIRO.
“It’s been three months, we were promised them back in June.”
Andrew Moy, a farmer down the road from Ms Garred, also spoke at the meeting.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous that prime agricultural land will be flooded,” Mr Moy said.
He talked about contaminated cattle tick sites that could leach chemicals, and the impact on the wildlife and the Aboriginal cultural heritage.
Mr Posselt said Lismore could have been one of the first places in the world to say – we are going to retreat.
“The first place to do so because of climate change,” he said.
Kyogle mayor Danielle Mulhollandi wrote a social media post about the CSIRO report.
“I grew up in Baroon Pocket in Maleny, where the Obi Creek provided an abundance of natural waterholes and habitat for numerous species. That landscape is now Baroon Dam,” Ms Mulholland said.
“I have never forgotten what was lost in that transformation.
“It is probably fair to say that I am particularly sensitive to governments making decisions that fundamentally alter communities and environments without properly engaging with the people who will be affected, genuinely listening to their concerns and being prepared to reconsider and replan.
“That decision was made worse by the fact that the water wasn’t even for the local community but a water source for Caloundra.
Ms Mulholland said it is one of the reasons she ultimately chose to make Kyogle her home rather than return to Maleny.
“I am also acutely conscious of the human impact of proposals such as this. We can debate engineering, infrastructure, flood modelling and feasibility, but we must not lose sight of the people who may have their homes, properties, livelihoods and sense of security affected.”
Join the Dam Free Kyogle Facebook page to keep up to date with news related to the CSIRO report.