Letters don’t already know? Interest in Mullum’s sewerage problems, by the W&R Committee and Council, is to be applauded. We are aware, however, that given the demands on available funds this might be the best chance we have of getting the sewerage system fixed into the foreseeable future, so why spend $2.5m more on obtaining information we already have? It would be extremely reassuring if Council responded to issues raised in The Echo by Dickens and Skyvington. Dr Sonia Laverty Mullumbimby
Thank you West Byron drowns Regarding the new roundabout at the Ozigo corner of Bayshore Drive and Ewingsdale Road, adjacent to the proposed West Byron development site. The months of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to raise an acre of land a mere metre higher, carting hundreds of truckloads, dumping, rolling and compressing thousands of cubic metres of soil – reveals what a farce the proposed West Byron development is! The ocean is set to rise a minimum of 40 centimetres by the end of this century. What is now melaleuca swamp will become mangrove wetlands. There are children already born who will witness West Byron properties inundated by seawater. This proposed development is the worst kind of opportunism and should never go ahead. Michael Balson Upper Wilsons Creek
Living at sea level
(SGB) will end up as islands; and dredging Marshalls Creek could prove difficult. Mathew Lambourne surveyed the creek years ago and discovered it has a rocky bottom and is therefore hard to dredge. The problem with water is its tendency to flow downhill, and there is not a lot of downhill in NB and SGB. In some areas it is less than a metre above sea level. Add storm surge and exceptionally high tides and the water is more likely to come in than go out. Adding to the future problems is the practice of filling the block or house footprint before building, thus incrementally raising flood heights. All that has changed in 20 years is that house prices in the area have massively increased, thus putting a lot more pressure on Council to ‘do something’. The question of what to do boils down to two options: retreat or defend. And so, retreat to where? While ‘defend’ could lock the council into increasingly expensive ‘defence’ measures
such as rock walls at $1,000 a metre etc. I would rather use the money to fix the potholes throughout the Shire. Indeed ‘déjá vu’. Andrew Hall Ocean Shores
Sewerage initiation As a novice to the sewerage issue in Mullum, there are two key issues that are of concern: a) the inability to use toilets in some homes because of ‘backflow’ during very heavy rainfalls and floods, and b) the fact that the overloading of the sewerage pump system in wet weather events causes effluent of lower standard to be discharged into the Brunswick River. Given the scope of work carried out in the past to the order of $9m (Dickens 18 July) and the data already available to Council, according to Dickens who, until recently, was a member of Council’s Water & Recycling (W&R) Committee, the question remains ‘what will the proposed trial tell us we
The nice thing about ‘déjà vu’ is you get to recognise the landmarks as they come round again.Your article ‘are we ready for the next flood event’ was such fun that way. As an ex-member of the Marshalls Creek floodplain management committee I am saddened that there are no new ideas and that several old ones did not make the current crop. The ocean outlet ideas mean that New Brighton (NB) and South Golden Beach
Letters to the Editor Send to Letters Editor Aslan Shand, fax: 6684 1719 email: editor@echo.net.au Deadline: Noon, Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. Letters already published in other papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
We would like to sincerely thank all of the people involved in the search around Fernleigh for our dear friend Patty Jung over July 16 and 17. It was inspiring to witness the logistics involved searching through difficult terrain to locate Patty. The swift coordination of Ballina police, Lismore detectives and the SES was commendable. Although the outcome did not reflect our wishes, the actions of the selfless individuals involved in achieving that outcome cast a silver lining on an otherwise dark cloud. Patty was extremely well known and liked throughout the Byron and hinterland communities, having started and operated Corndale Organic Bushfoods as a family business during the 1980s. Many of your readers will remember their groundbreaking market stall selling certified organic macadamia nuts and macadamia butter. We will think of all those who helped with the search during the celebration of her continued on next page
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GEOFF ATCHISON The Byron Shire Echo August 1, 2018 11