Rous County Council Annual Report 2018/19 Tunnel works Bitou bush Brown’s Creek Contents Contact us .................................................................................................................. 6 Chair’s message ........................................................................................................ 7 General Manager’s message ..................................................................................... 9 Reconciliation Action Plan Advisory Group: ............................................................. 10 Chair’s message ...................................................................................................... 10 Rous Local Water Utility Policy Advisory Group: ...................................................... 11 Member’s message .................................................................................................. 11 Council structure ...................................................................................................... 12 Our staff ................................................................................................................... 13 Our mission, vision and values ................................................................................. 14 Councillors ............................................................................................................... 15 Council meetings ...................................................................................................... 15 What we do .............................................................................................................. 16 What we do .............................................................................................................. 17 Planning and delivery ............................................................................................... 19 Future Water Strategy ....................................................................................................................... 19 Bulk water supply system .................................................................................................................. 21 Retail water supply system ............................................................................................................... 23 Asset Management Plans ................................................................................................................. 23 Capital works ..................................................................................................................................... 24 Operations ................................................................................................................ 26 Dams and sources ............................................................................................................................ 26 Rocky Creek Dam ............................................................................................................................. 27 Emigrant Creek Dam ......................................................................................................................... 28 Water treatment ................................................................................................................................ 28 Weed biosecurity ...................................................................................................... 30 Weed biosecurity services ................................................................................................................ 30 Weed management on roadsides ..................................................................................................... 35 Flood mitigation ........................................................................................................ 37 Special project: review of Active Floodgate Management Plans ...................................................... 37 Continued roll out of inspection program .......................................................................................... 38 Maintaining stakeholder relationships ............................................................................................... 38 Field monitoring of water quality ....................................................................................................... 39 Voluntary House Raising (VHR) Scheme ......................................................................................... 39 Catchment management .......................................................................................... 40 Richmond River Governance and funding framework ...................................................................... 40 The Northern Rivers Watershed Initiative ......................................................................................... 40 Annual Report 2018/19 2 A l R t 2018 19 Wilsons River Tidal Pool Riparian Restoration ................................................................................. 42 Drinking water catchment quality and health .................................................................................... 42 Emigrant Creek Catchment Management Plan implementation – River Reach Plan ....................... 44 Community education and engagement ........................................................................................... 46 Coastal Zone Management Plan for the Richmond River ................................................................ 48 Water quality monitoring ................................................................................................................... 49 Risk and compliance ................................................................................................ 51 Risk and Audit ................................................................................................................................... 51 Governance ....................................................................................................................................... 52 Work health and safety ..................................................................................................................... 54 Human resources ..................................................................................................... 58 Human resources activities ............................................................................................................... 58 Communications and engagement ........................................................................... 59 Extension work – Weed Biosecurity .................................................................................................. 59 Events ............................................................................................................................................... 61 Corporate and commercial ....................................................................................... 64 Financial performance year ended 30 June 2019 ............................................................................ 64 Non-core business activity ................................................................................................................ 65 Commercial properties ...................................................................................................................... 65 Procurement and properties.............................................................................................................. 65 Richmond Water Laboratories (RWL) ............................................................................................... 66 Perradenya Estate ............................................................................................................................ 67 Information and communication technology (ICT) ............................................................................ 68 Reconciliation Action Plan................................................................................................................. 69 Organistaional performance ..................................................................................... 70 2018/19 Delivery Program ................................................................................................................ 70 General .................................................................................................................... 81 Statutory reporting requirements ...................................................................................................... 81 Attachments ............................................................................................................. 91 Annual Report 2018/19 3 A l R t 2018 19 Annual Report 2018/19 4 A l R t 2018 19 This Annual Report summarises the activities and performance of Council for 2018/19 against our Delivery Program and Operational Plan. As well as reporting on our activities, the report contains a range of statutory reporting information. This and earlier Annual Reports are available on our website: www.rous.nsw.gov.au Disclaimer and copyright The information contained in this Report including opinions, advice and representations (‘the Content’) has been formulated in good faith and with all due care and is considered true and correct at the time of publication. Rous County Council does not warrant or represent that the Content is free from errors or omissions or that it is exhaustive. Council does not accept any liability in relation