Response to Information Request - MCU12/0184

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                                                                                Callaghan & Toth

6.2      Impact to Local Waterways

Blackfellow Creek forms the northern boundary of the site and flows to the Mary River. This
creek is a Lowland Freshwater waterway under the Environmental Protection (Water)Policy
2009   -

        Mary River environmental values and water quality objectives Basin No. 138
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including all tributaries of the Mary River (July 2010). The EPP Water details the water
quality objectives for this waterway type, including:

     .   Total Nitrogen < 0.5 mg/L
     .   Total Phosphorus < 0.05mg/L
    .    Suspended Solids < 6mg/L

Management of the farm will include the following to ensure water quality of Blackfellow
Creek is not impacted by this use:
    .    Stormwater runoff will be treated as per Section 3,
    .    Chicken litter will be used to fertilise avocado trees so there is no increase of nutrient
         application to the land.
    .    Commercial fertiliser usage will cease.
    .    Excess chicken litter will be sold off-site.
    .    Farm management will conduct soil and leaf analysis to ensure chicken litter is
         supplying adequate ratios of nutrients and minerals.
    .    The application of chicken litter will be managed to minimise the potential of the
         contamination of local waterways and will not be applied:
             o  within 50 m of waterways allowing overland flow to reduce run-off volume and
                re-capture particulate contaminants in run-off
             o  during heavy rainfall periods to minimise contaminants in run-off
             o  on windy days to minimise inappropriate dispersal

             o  on weekends to mini mise the risk of dust or odours annoying neighbours.

    .    Vegetated buffers to Blackfellow Creek will be maintained on site.
    .    Runoff from the majority of the avocado orchard (38 hectares) will continue to be
         directed to onsite dams.




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1209 Animal Husbandry   Top Forestry Rd, Ridgewood
                        -
                                                                                     SWQMP
April 2013