Locals tackle Richmond River pollution

NORTHERN Rivers locals have rolled up their sleeves to clean up the shores of the Richmond River.

OzFish and Dolphin Research Australia organised the ‘Keep it Clean’ workshop to bring the community together and empower people to be champions of the river.

The day started with a one-hour clean-up at the Boat Harbour in West Ballina, where participants collected over 1,890 pieces of trash.

OzFish senior project officer Zoe White said the rubbish weighed 174kg.

“We’ve been running quite a few clean up’s recently as part of our Keep it Clean campaign in collaboration with DPI Fisheries and we have had some even heavier amounts.”

Ms White said the difference with this clean-up is that it was made up of a whole lot of really small items.

All items were documented to provide data about sources of waste, with plastic packaging and pieces being the most common, as well as fishing debris, rope, and cigarette butts.

The microplastics did not count towards the total tally as they were too numerous to count.

“We are going to follow up with council and land managers in the area as unfortunately there were overflowing bins surrounding the site and that was where a lot of the litter was coming from,” Ms White said.

Dolphin Research Australia chief executive Dr Liz Hawkins said the Richmond River provides vital habitat and ecosystem services but is one of the most degraded rivers in Australia.

“We know resident dolphins rely on this estuary to survive, but they are very vulnerable due to the level of degradation and exposure to pollutants,” Dr Hawkins said.

Dr Hawkins said agricultural and urban runoff, along with land clearing and recent major flooding events, have resulted in poor water quality and a severely degraded river ecosystem.

In 2023, Byron Bay was named Australia’s newest Mission Blue Hope Spot.

A Hope Spot is an area identified as critical to the health of the ocean.

The Northern Rivers Hope Spot runs from the Richmond River to Brunswick River, including Julian Rocks Nguthungulli Nature Reserve as well as the broader Cape Byron Marine Park and related waterways.

The Keep it Clean workshop is one of many that run throughout the year as part of the Byron Bay Hope Spot Ocean Champions program.

Byron Bay Hope Spot coordinator Alice Forrest said the event showed the community’s desire to restore the Richmond to a beautiful, swimmable waterway.

“It used to have oyster agriculture, clear waters, and healthy ecosystems, and thanks to local scientists and organisations we can see a path towards restoring that,” Ms Forrest said.

Dr Hawkins said anyone can help to restore the river health.

“It can start in the home by using products that don’t contain harmful chemicals which are in many herbicides, pesticides, and clearing products.”