Cabbage Tree Island is located on the Richmond River about 15 kilometres upstream from the coastal town of Ballina. The Richmond River is a relatively large coastal river that drains a catchment of about 6900 square kilometres. It rises in the McPherson Ranges near the Queensland-NSW border and discharges to the South Pacific Ocean at Ballina. This Plan documents the preferred floodplain risk management options for Cabbage Tree Island and incorporates them into a program of works that identifies the likely cost of each measure and their projected benefit to the community. The following floodplain management strategies are recommended for implementation under this FRMP:
- Construct a low level deflector levee with a nominal crest elevation of 2.6 mAHD extending around the southern end of Cabbage Tree Island.
- Revise Policy Statement No.11 (Flood Levels) within Council’s Combined Development Control Plan Chapter 1 – Urban Land to prohibit the development of additional residential dwellings on Cabbage Tree Island.
- Revise Annexure G of the Ballina Local Flood Plan 2000 to incorporate flood warning protocols for Cabbage Tree Island and alternative options for flood evacuation and refuge.
- Develop and implement a specific education program for the Jali Aboriginal community to ensure that the potential flood risk is known across the full demographic of the community, and so that the role of SES in times of flood is clearly understood.
