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NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Jabour Weir fishway

This project is developing detailed designs for the preferred option of a vertical slot fishway. Activities include a site survey, geotechnical report, CFD (computational flow dynamics) modelling, and design drawings. The project is being managed by NSW Public Works.

The Richmond River is one of the largest coastal catchments in NSW and was heavily impacted by the 2022 floods.  Until recently, five weirs (Norco, Manyweathers, Jabour, Cookes, and Kyogle) were present on the mainstem Richmond River.  These weirs were installed in the mid 1900’s for water conservation for the townships of Kyogle and Casino (Manyweathers and Jabour), along with providing water security for irrigation purposes (Norco and Cookes). However, in addition to providing water security, they also acted to block fish passage. Opportunities for fish to move within the Richmond were restricted until river flows reached levels when these structures were submerged. Like many other systems, this has had a long lasting effect on the local fish populations, isolating them between weirs and restricting their access to breeding and feeding habitats and reducing their ability to escape from predators or poor water quality.




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Jabour Weir's existing fishway

An old ineffective fishway design was retrofitted with Denil inserts however this favours strong swimming species.

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Jabour Weir fishway concept design

A vertical slot fishway will improve fish passage past Jabour Weir.

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Jabour Weir is the last remaining barrier on the Richmond River

Surrounding weirs have been removed and Kyogle Weir has a fishway. Addressing Jabour Weir will make several hundred kilometres of fish passage available up to the village of Grevillia.

Nearly two decades ago work began to address these barriers, with Norco Weir being the first weir removed in 2007 followed by Manyweathers Weir two years later. In 2017 new off-stream storage provided an opportunity for Kyogle Council to lower the height of Kyogle Weir and facilitate the construction of a V-shaped prefabricated rock ramp fishway, improving fish passage opportunities in the upper catchment. Finally in 2021 the redundant Cookes Weir, 12 km upstream of Jabour Weir, was removed. These works have meant that Jabour Weir is the last remaining obstruction on the mainstem Richmond River up to the village of Grevillia and is one of the highest priority sites for fish passage remediation in coastal NSW.

Jabour Weir continues to serve as a water supply source for Casino. Its original submerged orifice fishway has been replaced with Denil inserts that now provides limited fish passage for larger, stronger swimming species. In 2013 a concept design report was commissioned by Richmond Valley Council which identified a vertical slot fishway or a trapezoidal fishway as options for providing fish passage past the weir.

Construction of a vertical slot fishway at Jabour Weir will allow native fish to move freely from the sea to over 234 km of the mainstem Richmond River, improving the resilience of the fish population, and allow them to shelter and rapidly repopulate following extreme flood events.

Stroud Weir cone fishway

Marsden Street Weir fish lock repair