Published in November 2022, the North Coast Regional Water Strategy aims to provide a comprehensive and balanced set of actions that deliver on the strategy’s objectives and align with the priority actions of the NSW Water Strategy.
The strategy identifies three key priorities:
- take a holistic approach to land and water management
- ensure water resource development and use is sustainable and equitable
- prepare for future climatic extremes.
The North Coast Regional Water Strategy is progressing a program of actions to improve water security across coastal and hinterland communities. The strategy identifies 39 initiatives to be commenced in the short term to support the immediate needs of towns, industry, Aboriginal people and the environment. To date, 47% of initiatives have been completed and a large proportion are underway or now adopted into the ongoing functions of water managers. This work is strengthening planning and supporting more resilient water resources across the north coast.
Key areas of progress to date include:
Priority 1: Take a holistic approach to land and water management
- Preparing an integrated catchment management program to improve the way land and water is managed to achieve better water quality and other environmental outcomes.
- Established Regional Aboriginal Water Committees as part of the commitment to ensure Aboriginal peoples have a strong, informed and respected voice in water planning and management in NSW.
Priority 2: Ensure water resource development and use is sustainable and equitable
- Developed and released models for the Clarence, Macleay and Hastings valleys to improve our understanding of how coastal estuaries may respond to saltwater intrusion from future sea level changes to support long-term water planning.
Priority 3: Prepare for future climatic extremes
- Provided an additional $6.2 million investment for Kempsey from the Safe and Secure Water Program (on top of the existing $7.1 million) — along with a further $12.5 million from the National Water Grid.
- Construction commenced on the second stage of a $38 million project that will extend Bellingen Shire’s sewerage network into more communities, giving them access to modern, environmentally sustainable sewerage services for the first time. The landmark Sewering Coastal Villages Project is funded through more than $11 million from the NSW Government’s Safe and Secure Program and over $27 million from Bellingen Shire Council.