The Richmond River catchment is home to beautiful beaches and scenic rivers but sadly everyday behaviours are negatively affecting the waterways we love. Councils within the Richmond River catchment have joined forces to highlight some of these issues and offer some solutions.
These three stories highlight how bad habits are doing more damage than we realise and now is the time to love it or lose it. Making positive changes in your backyard, business or on the land will ensure future generations can continue to enjoy clean drinking water, healthy fish and beautiful waterways.
keep our waterways clean
- at home and work
Our gutters and drains are all part of a large stormwater system. When it rains, stormwater runoff from around our streets and homes can wash dirt, litter, pollutants and other nasty things into our waterways. In most cases, stormwater is not treated, which means everything going down stormwater drains flows directly from streets and gutters into waterways where fish, frogs and other precious aquatic animals and plants live. With your help, we can keep our precious waterways clean and healthy by stopping pollution entering our gutters and drains in the first place.
keep our waterways clean
- on the land
There’s nothing a farmer likes more than a good rain shower but in our climate we sometimes get more than a shower! This generates runoff. Rural runoff is stormwater that moves across our landscape through fields and natural areas after it rains. This is a natural part of the water cycle. Good land management means clean water and healthy rivers. Poor land management allows weed seeds, soil, litter, nutrients (such as poo and fertiliser) and other pollutants to be washed into our waterways. Often, this can have severe effects downstream. Using good land management practices on rural land is one way to help keep our rivers and waterways clean for future generations.
help save water
Watering the garden, taking a shower and getting a glass of water are all daily activities that are easy to take for granted. But water is precious and vital for our survival. Drinking water is especially precious and we all have a responsibility to help conserve and protect it. To use water more wisely in your home or business it is important we aware of our water usage patterns. With just a few simple changes, like installing a rainwater tank or using recycled water, you can help our local Richmond River catchment conserve precious drinking water.
watch more
Watch the shorter versions of Love It or Lose It videos
Richmond River Resources
Councils across the Richmond River region are doing great work to help protect our catchment’s waterways. Whether it’s in your backyard or on the land, these resources are designed to give you the tools you need to help save water and protect local waterways.
Ballina Shire
The Ballina Shire Urban Garden Guide helps residents plan a new garden or maintain an established garden while making choices that save water, energy and help care for the surrounding environment.
Erosion and Sediment Control Guide
This is a practical guide for best practice to reduce stormwater pollution from building sites. These guidelines will help you comply with statutory environmental obligations on the job site and protect the health of local waterways.
Lismore City Council
The Local Native Garden Guide is designed to inspire urban, village and rural residents to invite the natural world into their gardens.
Rous County Council
Rous County Council is a multipurpose county council delivering bulk water, weed biosecurity and flood mitigation services within the Northern Rivers to our constituent councils.
They have a range of resources available on their website.
Healthy Catchments, Healthy Water
Rous County Council’s Healthy Catchments, Healthy Water has been designed as a practical guide for NSW landholders within drinking water catchments.
The Landholders Guide to Looking After Waterways in the Richmond Catchment
This booklet aims to provide landholders in the Richmond catchment with practical guidelines for waterway management that seek to balance land use with resource protection.
Other resources
Cool Australia creates high quality educational content and online professional development courses about contemporary environmental issues.
Riparian Design Guidelines to Inform the Ecological Repair of Urban Waterways
These guidelines have been developed by the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC) who is an Australian research centre.
