Protect the Macleay: Mining Threats, Wetland Wonders, and New Action!
Hi Macleay, Community,
There is a lot happening across the Macleay catchment right now. From fighting mining contamination to celebrating our local platypus populations, Save Our Macleay River (SOMR) has been busy advocating for our waters.
Here is the “State of the River” update for April 2026:
- The Hillgrove Mine Threat…
- Clybucca Wetlands: A “Vinegar” Flood
- Council Watch: Erosion & Development
- Celebrating the Platypus & Rakali
- We Need Your Help: Water Testing
1. The Hillgrove Mine Threat…
We’ve lodged a formal ‘Submission of Objection’ against Hillgrove Mine’s Modification 5. This project poses a massive contamination risk to the river downstream.
- The Concern: We believe the assessment is flawed and ignores cumulative impacts from multiple mine sites.
- The Update: The mining company has hired a former Assistant Minister as a “strategic advisor”—we suspect this is a push for lenient approvals. We are watching closely.
Image from Larvotto Annual Report.
2. Clybucca Wetlands: A “Vinegar” Flood
A recent report found that the Clybucca Wetlands are the largest source of Acid Sulphate contamination in our floods. The River is taking the equivalent of 170 Olympic swimming pools of pH3 (vinegar-level acidity) flowing into the estuary in floods. We are currently lobbying politicians and agencies to prioritise wetland restoration to prevent this.
3. Council Watch: Erosion & Development
- Riverbank Erosion: A 2025 report shows erosion has surged since 2005. We’ve asked Kempsey Shire Council for a clear plan on how they intend to fix these priority zones. – no response to date!
- Development Control: We’ve reviewed the new Draft DCP. While some parts are okay, we’re worried that a loss of environmental staff at the Council will lead to poor monitoring of new developments. We are following this up!
4. Celebrating the Platypus & Rakali
On March 7th, we attended in Armidale to discuss the “Rights of the River.” It was a powerful afternoon hearing from Traditional Custodians and ecologists about how we can rehabilitate our headwaters to protect these iconic species.
Image, Thelma and Rainbow Serpent weaving
5. We Need Your Help: Water Testing
We’ve refreshed our field kits and are ready to test! We can check for pH, Salts, Nitrogen, Arsenic, and more. – Do you know a freshwater site that looks contaminated? Please reach out to us via our email saveourmacleayriver.com We want to put our field kits to work where they are needed most.
Want to dive deeper?
Read our full Hillgrove Submission here: Hillgrove_Mod5_Final_Submission-1.pdf
View the Clybucca Water Quality Report: Clybucca-Water-Quality-Analysis-FINAL-OCTOBER-2025.pdf
Together, we can keep the Macleay healthy.
The SOMR Team
