DERM Wetland Agency Response MCU11/0254

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                                                                                                          Notice
                                                                            Advice Agency Response

Wetland:
The Assessment Manager should consider the potential impacts of the proposed development on wetland
values, including the water quality, natural hydrological flows and ecological functioning of the wetland.
Development should meet the following outcomes:

•    Maintain ecological values of the wetland. There is no loss of wetland habitat and adverse impacts on
     the functioning and integrity of a wetland from development are avoided. A report prepared and
     certified by an appropriately qualified professional may assist the Assessment Manager to consider the
     impacts of the development on the ecological values and functioning of the wetland. If adverse impacts
     are unavoidable, the Assessment Manager is encouraged to ensure that the values lost are offset in
     order to achieve an environmental outcome equal or better than the wetland values that are impacted.

     Where a wetland management area is mapped as a 'significant coastal wetland' under a Regional
     Coastal Management Plan it should be assessed, against the policy for areas of state significance
     (natural resources). An Implementation Guideline should be consulted:
     http://www.derm.ald.gov.au/services resources/item details. php?item id=202304&topic id=54.
     For areas where a regional coastal management plan does not exist, where the wetland management
     area is also defined as a 'significant coastal wetland' under the State Coastal Management Plan -
     Queensland's Coastal Policy 2001 (SCMP), any approval is consistent with SCMP policy 2.8.1, Areas of
     state significance (natural resources).
•    Maintain wetland water quality. The water quality of any waters in and linked to the wetland is
     maintained and managed to protect the environmental values of the wetland, and to ensure that the
     water quality objectives listed under Schedule 1 of the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009 are
     achieved.

•    Maintain wetland water regime. The existing water regime (including surface and groundwater) within
     and linked to the wetland is maintained and managed to protect existing natural hydrological processes
     within the wetland ecosystem. This includes safeguarding natural fluctuations in size and location of the
     wetland, and retaining and allowing for regeneration of native vegetation.

To ensure that the proposed development is able to meet the above outcomes, the Assessment Manager is
encouraged to consider the requirement for a buffer area between any proposed works and the wetland. A
wetland buffer has two components:
    •    a support area adjacent to the wetland that maintains and supports the environmental values of the
         wetland; and

    •    a separation area around the support area that protects the wetland from external threats such as
         sediment and nutrient discharge from surrounding landuse.
Buffer distances should be maximised in order to maintain existing biodiversity values, habitat connectivity
and to minimise edge effects. Unless otherwise determined by a suitably qualified professional, the following
buffer widths are accepted by DERM as precautionary buffer widths likley to absorb impacts from external
uses.
     •    within urban areas, a minimum 50m buffer to wetland
     •    outside of urban areas a minimum 200m buffer to wetland
     •    for'significant coastal wetlands', a buffer width of 200m to wetland




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                                                                                                                       Notice
                                                                                     Advice Agency Response

Where required, revegetation of the buffer is recommended using native species representative of the pre-
clearing regional ecosystem, with preference given to endemic species. Plants should be of local
provenance where possible. A rehabilitation/ revegetation management plan including weed management
strategies may assist in determining the rehabilitiation requirements for the development. Conditioning of any
approval with building or development envelope(s) may also be a useful way to give formal effect to any
required buffer area.
The Assessment Manager should consider requiring applicants to provide a Stormwater Management Plan
to demonstrate how stormwater, sediment and other run-off from the site (associated with the construction
and operational phases of development) will be effectively managed to prevent adverse impacts on wetland
values. Potential impacts are to be addressed through water sensitive urban design including compliance
with South East Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 Implementation Guideline No. 7: Water sensitive
urban design - design objectives for urban stormwater management. For areas outside of the South-east
Queensland Regional Plan area any approval should recognise the requirements of the the Draft Urban
Stormwater -Queensland Best Practice Environmental Management Guidelines 20091.


General information for assessment managers
The State's Native Title Work Procedures provide that responsibility for assessment of native title issues for
an IDAS application rests with the assessment manager. Therefore, DERM as a referral agency for the
relevant application has not provided notification to native title parties.

Additional information for applicants
It is a requirement of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 that if an owner or occupier of land becomes
aware of a Notifiable Activity (as defined in Schedule 3 and Schedule 4 of the Environmental Protection Act
1994) being carried out on the land, or that the land has been, or is being, contaminated by a hazardous
contaminant, the owner or occupier must, within 22 business days after becoming so aware, give written
notice to the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

Under section 23 of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 a person who carries out an activity must take
all reasonable and practicable measures to ensure the activity does not harm Aboriginal cultural heritage
(the "cultural heritage duty of care"). Maximum penalties for breaching the duty of care are $1,000,000 for a
corporation and $100,000 for an individual.
Applicants will comply with the duty of care in relation to Aboriginal cultural heritage if they are acting in
accordance with cultural heritage duty of care guidelines gazetted under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act
2003, available on the DERM website, or in accordance with an agreement with the Aboriginal party for the
area or a cultural heritage management plan approved under part 7 of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act
2003.

Applicants are also encouraged to undertake a search of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Database and the
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Register, administered by the Cultural Heritage Coordination Unit, DERM.




I
  The Draft Urban Stormwater -Queensland Best Practice Environmental Management Guidelines 2009, is available at:
http://www.derm.gid.gov.au/environmental management/water/environmental values environmental protection water policy/draft urb
an stormwater gbpem guideline 2009.html




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                                                                                                    Notice
                                                                       Advice Agency Response

Application forms to undertake a free search of the Cultural Heritage Register and the Database may be
obtained by contacting the Cultural Heritage Coordination Unit on (07) 3239 3647 or on the DERM website
www.derm.gld.gov.au/cultural heritage


Should you have any questions about the above, please contact Katrina Theilemann on telephone 1300 130
372, quoting the above reference number.




Delegate                                                    Enquiries:
Mark Franco                                                 Katrina Theilemann
Delegate for the Chief Executive administering the          Department of Environment and
Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995,                 Resource Management
Environmental Protection Act 1994,                          Permit and Licence Management
Nature Conservation Act 1992.                               Address: GPO Box 2454 BRISBANE QLD 4001
Department of Environment and                               Telephone: 1300 130 372
Resource Management                                         Facsimile: 07 3896 3342
                                                            Email:   [email protected]

6 January 2012




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