$2.50 incl GST
Warren
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
PROUDLY SERVING WARREN, NEVERTIRE, COLLIE & OUR SHIRE
HOME DELIVERY AVAILABLE IN SOME AREAS: ASK YOUR LOCAL NEWSAGENT
Warren Fire and Rescue St Mary’s Cross Country Open Day — Why not come winners, jogged off to along and have a go! Parkes for region run
Men’s Shed stall helps keep their doors open; as home sought for classic truck STORY: PAGE 3
Stopping the next flood: Start on $7 million levee restoration By HARRIET GILMORE THE first stage of the more than $7 million restoration project to the Warren levee is getting underway soon, after a tender was accepted for the supply and installation of new floodgates. The multi-million-dollar levee restoration project will ensure the levee is reinstated to its original design level and the community is protected for the next flooding event. The project comprises of three main components: civil construction of around 200 metres of the riverbank and levee at Lions Park; the replacement of floodgates and pumps; and riverbank stabilisation at various other locations throughout town. Kicking-off the project, a near $900,000 tender was awarded by Warren Shire Council last month, to Precision Civil Infrastructure to supply and install 44 new levee floodgates. Continued page 7
STORY: PAGE 6
STORY & PHOTOS: PAGE 12
The big clean! Two “semi” loads of rubbish already removed from river By HARRIET GILMORE TWO semi-trailer loads of debris have already been removed from the Macquarie River — including a car body — in an extensive clean-up project led by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The clean-up works, which began in early April, are progressing well with a spokesperson from the EPA confi rming that around 177 cubic meters of woody debris and 14 cubic metres of human-made rubbish, have been removed from the Macquarie River. The extensive project will see seven rafts (or log jams) as well as woody debris (such as willow) and almost all human-made debris and litter cleared from more than 90 kilometres of the Macquarie River, from between the Warren (Top) Weir and Marebone Weir. In good news for local environmentalists and river-users, “Raft One” has also been completely cleared in the past four weeks of work. Revealing how the project is going, about 20 interested
Contractors for the NSW EPA remove a car body as part of an extensive cleanup of the Macquarie River. PHOTO: NSW EPA. community members came along to an information session hosted by the EPA last week which provided an update on the initiative. At the meeting, the community was told that feedback
MARTHAGUY PICNIC RACES First Race 1:30pm, 6 Race Program, $45,000 prize money
FREE CAMPING
Bus fro m Club F Warren Go l races ree entry to f for bu s patr ons
from the last meeting on the scale of the project had been proven correct, with work expected to take longer than fi rst anticipated. “During this fi rst stage of removal works, we have iden-
tified more debris than originally forecast, so work is expected to continue until June 2024,” a spokesperson said. “However, we are confident we have removed all human-made debris from ‘Raft One’,” they confi rmed. As well as the car body removed from near the bridge on the Industrial Access Road at the Bryan Egan Weir, other debris and rubbish removed has included plastic drums, chemical containers, gas bottles, tyres, and even a hot water system and a box freezer. Some concerns around plans for tethering some of the native timber that would not be taken out of the river as the log jams are cleared, was raised at the meeting, with the EPA confi rming they are still working through how they will make this aspect of the project work. “As we work through each of the rafts, we are assessing larger native debris, and how we can safely manage this with minimal impact to the surrounding environment,” the spokesperson said. Continued page 8
NEW DATE: SATURDAY, 29 JUNE 2024
After the Races party at the Sundowner – Meals & DJ FASHIONS ON THE FIELD
Free luncheon 12pm - 1:30pm
GATES OPEN 11AM - QUAMBONE
Tickets available at the gate or through 123Tix