Attachment 7C - Flora and Fauna Survey Assessment_Noosa Landfill - Revision 3

                                                                                      Native Foresters



1.3      Site description

The Noosa Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre is situated at 561 Eumundi Noosa Road,
Doonan (Lot 77 SP298776). Refer to Figure 1 for a Locality map. The potential Impact
Area lies on the eastern edge of the proposed new landfill cells 2.3 and 2.4. It extends north-
east to the 13 metre contour adjacent to proposed Cell 2.3, and north-east to the 15 metre
contour adjacent to proposed cell 2.4 over an area of approximately 18,800m2. This
potential Impact Area has the potential to be impacted by groundwater lowering or changes
in surface water flows (Figure 2). There is also clearing of approximately 6,500 m2 for the
southern stormwater discharge area. This area includes both the discharge drain and an
associated buffer area.

An additional 100m buffer was included in the flora survey and is referred to as the Clearing
Impact Area. The total clearing impact area is approximately 50 hectares. The existing
(Stage 1) and proposed (Stage 2) landfill facility is shown in Appendix B – Noosa Landfill
Layout Plan.

Underlying geology immediately east of the landfill has been described by the Department
of Environment and Heritage (DES) and Sattler and Williams (1999) as Land Zone 5 –
Tertiary-early Quaternary extensive, uniform near level or gently undulating plains with
sandy or loamy soils, with Land Zone 3 – Recent Quaternary alluvial systems occurring
along the drainage lines and further to the east. The soil profile in Land Zone 5 is a deeply
weathered soil with good internal drainage. The dry sclerophyll plant communities growing
on weathered sandstone have adapted over millennia to these soil conditions.

The eastern edge of the landfill contains patches of weedy regrowth, with some planted
areas in and around the sediment basins, ponds, dams and access tracks. Immediately
adjacent to the landfill, the Land Zone 5 supports an Endangered Scribbly gum woodland
vegetation community (RE 12.5.3) which occurs to the north east and south east, as well
as a Least concern Eucalypt woodland vegetation community (RE 12.5.4). Land Zone 3
supports Closed heathland (RE 12.3.13) and Melaleuca wetland vegetation communities
(RE 12.3.5). The Eucalypt-dominated vegetation communities transition to closed heath
and/or wetland at several locations where the shallow water table intersects the ground
surface in low-lying areas and along drainage lines.

The mapped vegetation provides habitat for the following species of conservation
significance: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), Wallum Rocketfrog (Litoria freycineti) and
Wallum Froglet (Crinia tinnula), which are all listed as Vulnerable under the Nature
Conservation Act 1992 (NCA), as well as Swamp Crayfish (Tenuibranchiurus glypticus)
which is listed as Endangered.

The southern and eastern extremities of the allotment are intersected by road reserves and
are allocated as Weyba Nature Refuge to the south and east of the road. These are
managed for conservation purposes by Noosa Council’s Natural Areas team. The Noosa
National Park adjoins the south-western property boundary, located to the south of those
features. The area to the north (the balance of the allotment) is zoned for Community
Purposes under the Noosa Plan.




Noosa Landfill & Resource Recovery Centre – Fauna and Flora Assessment – Revision 3                6