Tweed Shire Council’s Waterways Program plays a central role in improving river and stream condition by combining monitoring, strategic intervention, and targeted landholder support. The program addresses key pressures on the catchment through coordinated planning, on‑ground works and partnerships with landowners and community groups. Council’s River Health Grants provide practical assistance to manage creek and riverbanks in ways that protect water quality and riparian ecosystem health, including fencing, stock‑exclusion infrastructure, weed control, and revegetation.
Recent program outcomes highlight the value of this approach. In 2023, Council partnered with North Coast Local Land Services to deliver a $620,000 riverbank stabilisation project to restore 700 metres of the Tweed River severely damaged during the 2022 floods. The project included installing rock revetment and 1,700 hardwood logs designed to rebuild riverbed levels and reduce ongoing erosion. Topographic and bathymetric surveys in 2024-2025 reveals the project has been successful in capturing approximately 2,254 cubic meters (3,564 tonnes) of sediment.
River Health Grants have supported over 240 landholders across priority catchments to undertake riparian fencing, erosion control, and revegetation projects that improve bank stability and reduce sediment and nutrient inputs.
These efforts contribute to long-term catchment resilience through increased riparian cover, reduced stock access to waterways, enhanced aquatic habitat and reduced diffuse pollution risks. The program contributes to long‑term catchment resilience by protecting the drinking water supply for more than 70,000 residents and supporting aquatic ecosystems. The Tweed experience demonstrates how local government–led, grant‑supported, catchment‑scale partnerships can deliver substantial improvements to river and stream health.