2017-09-18 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                             18 SEPTEMBER 2017


REPORTS DIRECT TO GENERAL COMMITTEE
4                        QUEENSLAND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION POLICY CHANGES CONSULTATION
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION




Author                              Environment Officer, Cherie O’Sullivan
                                    Environment and Sustainable Development Department

Index                               ECM/ Subject/ Environmental Protection Policy - Water

Attachments                         1.    Existing Water Types Map
                                    2.    Proposed Water Types Map
                                    (Note: Attachments provided separately to this report)



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The State of Queensland is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the Water Quality
Protection Policy, Water Quality Objectives and Environmental Values for different water types in
South East Queensland. The changes are based on technically derived water quality guidelines
and 10 year’s worth of monitoring of the existing water quality. For the Noosa River Catchment,
the proposed changes will ease the minimum standard of water quality in Moderately Disturbed
(i.e. developed or farmed) areas of the Cooroibah Catchment, Weyba Catchment and the
Southern Noosa Area draining freshwaters (i.e. flowing to Burgess Creek and all creeks that flow
to the Eastern Beaches). Although the proposal is to lower the level of protection compared to
the current water quality objectives, proposed changes will require the quality of the water to be
better than it has been for 50% of the time over the past 10 years. The proposed change is also
to remove Stock Watering as an environmental value requiring protection in Weyba Catchment.
The proposed feedback is that Noosa Council does not support the changes due to:
   an inadequate understanding of the socio-economic impact of the changes; and
   changes are proposed in areas that drain to environments already showing evidence of
     nutrient stress. Agreeing to changes are considered to endorse existing environmental
     stress, and remove future compliance and investment opportunities in the already impacted
     areas.
There are alternative methods of determining water quality criteria that are considered more
appropriate.
Protecting environmental values for Stock Watering within Weyba Catchment has also been
requested for re-inclusion on Environmental Values mapping.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Environment Officer to the General Committee Meeting dated
18 September 2017 regarding proposed changes to the Queensland Environmental Protection
Policy and agree to make a submission to the Department of Environment and Heritage
Protection as outlined in Section 6 of this report.


REPORT
The purpose of this report is to provide Councillors with an overview of:
                       the proposed changes to the Water Quality Protection Policy Water Quality objectives for
                         Noosa River Catchment; and
                       seek endorsement of feedback proposed to be provided to the State Government prior to
                         30 September 2017 regarding the changes.

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