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Cover Letter to Assessment Manager
Attached to the e-mail Operational Works Application OPW17/0016.
Officer Name: Cherie O'Sullivan as NOOSA COUNCIL oe lel [email protected] ECOSUN RS CRM No: 11 January 2017 Development Assessment Team PO Box 141 Tewantin QLD 4565 Dear Sir/Madam, RE: APPLICATION FOR OPERATIONAL WORKS APPROVAL FOR PRESCRIBED TIDAL WORKS AND WORKS IN A DECLARED FISH HABITAT AREA Noosa Shire Council, in conjunction with Noosa Parks Association and the University of the Sunshine Coast provide herewith an application seeking Operational Works Approval for Prescribed Tidal Works and Works within a Declared Fish Habitat Area at 15 sites throughout the Noosa River. The Operational Works approval is to enable a fisheries habitat restoration project to proceed. The technical details regarding the design of the project have been co-ordinated by the University of the Sunshine Coast Science team which consists of Professor Thomas Schlacher , Dr Ben Gilby, and Dr Andrew Olds who between them share 50 years of research experience on fish ecology and coastal habitat management. The science team are listed as authors of 108, 16 and 35 peer reviewed journal articles respectively. Studies referred to throughout this application have identified that oyster reefs used to exist throughout the Noosa River prior to anthropogenic influences. These oyster reefs were removed prior to 1960's via dredging. More recent studies have found that oyster spat still exist in the water column, and that oyster spat recruitment does occur when suitable surfaces for the oyster spat recruitment are provided. Following the extreme anthropogenic impacts to natural oyster reefs in the Noosa River, Oyster Reef Restoration Units have been designed to provide suitable surfaces to facilitate natural recruitment of oyster spat. These units are designed to create habitats reflective of natural morphology which no longer exist within the river. The absence of such suitable surfaces reduce the availability and diversity of the habitat mosaic that existed in Noosa River prior to human impacts. Worldwide research has found that the most suitable surface for oysters to recruit on are other oyster shells located between Lowest Astronomical Tide and Highest Astronomical Tide. Following from the research findings, the proposal subject of this application is to install oyster shell substrate at 15 sites throughout the Noosa River to facilitate for the oyster spat to naturally recruit, cement oyster shell together and restore oyster reef habitat. The intention of the project is to assist where feasible to meet the Noosa Plan Environmental Sector Vision which states: “The Noosa Community has a commitment to environmental excellence and sustainability. The impact of human settlement has been minimised. We manage, maintain, restore and preserve our natural environment.” The locations for installation of the oyster reef restoration units have been selected by scientists and engineers whose expertise are in the field of coastal ecology, to maximise the likelihood of oyster spat recruitment whilst avoiding interference with recreational and commercial users of the river. ald.qov.au qId.g L NOOSA COUNCIL PO Box 141 TEWANTIN QLD 4565 qid.gov.au
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Officer Name: Cherie O'Sullivan
aH ae CO pei val mall@neoss als.qov.2u
mo a UNCIL ead Oyster Reef
CRM No:
The locations for the 15 sites are all within the intertidal zone and also within the Noosa River Declared
Fish Habitat Area. The project therefore requires an approval for Prescribed Tidal Works and Works
within a Declared Fish Habitat Area.
This application is seeking these development approvals to facilitate for the restoration works to
commence. Accordingly, this application includes the following supporting documentation that is
required to be submitted with the IDAS application forms:
Enclosure 1: Detailed plans designed and certified by a Registered Professional Engineer of
Queensland showing:
e the location the real property description and boundaries of the land (including tidal land) that
would abut or adjoin the proposed works
e the proposed works (including existing works to be removed) in relation to relevant tidal planes
(e.g. mean high water springs)
e the slope angles of the beds and banks of the tidal area and the finished levels of the proposed
works.
Enclosure 2: A statement detailing how the proposed development addresses the local government's
planning schemes and any other planning documents relevant to the application.
Enclosure 3: A statement addressing the relevant part(s) of the State Development Assessment
Provisions (SDAP). Enclosure 3 is divided to Enclosure 3a — Module 5- Fisheries Matters, Enclosure
3b- Module 10 — Coastal Management District, Enclosure 3c- Module 14 — Maritime Safety.
Enclosure 4: details of how the proposed work addresses the IDAS code for prescribed tidal work in
the Coastal Protection and Management Regulation 2003, schedule 4A. This code has been completed
by a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland.
Enclosure 5: The Noosa River Oyster Reef Restoration Plan which includes the following details that
are compulsory information to submit a development application:
e Details of the purpose of the proposed work (Section 3 and 5)
e Adescription of the method of works (Section 6 Proposed Restoration Methods page 5).
e Adescription of the past uses and/or disturbances of the development area (Section 1 History
of Oystering in Noosa River page 2).
e A detailed description of the alternatives considered to reduce impacts on marine plants or the
declared fish habitat area, as applicable (Section 8 Alternatives on page 8)
e Details of on-site mitigation actions proposed to prevent the proposed work contributing to
degradation of the declared fish habitat area, in and adjacent to the development area, during
and after the development. (Section 13: Risk Management on page 12)
e The extent of any future maintenance works required for the continued safe operation of the
proposed structure or facility (Section 12 Monitoring Schedule on Page 10-12)
Enclosure 6: A letter from Ecological Service Providers to demonstrate that the proposal is restoring
the natural processes for oyster habitats that once thrived in the Noosa River.
The following essential information and reasons for its exclusion within supporting documentation are
as follows:
A description of the habitats within the declared fish habitat area proposed to be impacted (e.g. sand
banks, mud banks, seagrass, mangroves, salt couch, rocky shore, etc.) and the nature of the impact.
The substrate at each site is sandy or sandy mud only. Drawing 2016.0028-020 details that the coir log
bags filled with oyster shells are to be located within sandy or sandy/muddy substrate (this is to facilitate
anchorage of the coir bag) and on note 8 that reefs are not to be relocated where hard substrate is
NOOSA COUNCIL
Page 3
Officer Name: Cherie O'Sullivan qr >| NOOSA COUNCIL lal [email protected] jone No: mm | NOOSA COUNCIL | ECM Ref: Oyster Reef CRM No: encountered. The nature of the impact is that the sand or sandy mud will be covered as shown on the detail design drawings. A description of the marine plants proposed to be removed, destroyed or damaged (e.g. number, type, height, area in m?, density, health, etc.) by the work. Description of marine plants is not needed as no marine plants are proposed to be removed, destroyed or damaged. Note 4 on detail design drawing 2016.0028.-01 states that the coir log filled with oyster shells must not be located in any areas with marine plants. A description of off-site actions proposed to offset residual impacts from any permanent loss of or damage to marine plants or the declared fish habitat area, as applicable (e.g. any proposed rehabilitation or restoration of marine plants, land exchange options, fish habitat research contribution, etc.). The purpose of the proposed works is to assist natural restoration of oyster reef habitat, which will form part of the estuarine habitat mosaic of the declared fish habitat area. This habitat was historically removed and therefore off-site actions to offset residual impacts from permanent loss of the sand substrate are not necessary. The Noosa River Oyster Reef Restoration Plan provided as Enclosure 5 details reasons why the proposal will restore lost habitat and support current coastal processes. A Resource Allocation Authority to authorised prescribed development in the Declared Fish Habitat Area has already been obtained from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Authority Number 2016CA0575). In addition, a Beneficial Use Permit / Specific Approval of a Resource has also been issued from the Department of Environment and Heritage to permit for Oyster Shells to be used within the proposed Oyster Reef Restoration Units (Approval Number ENBU07017216). Your early assessment of the enclosed application is requested to facilitate for reef deployment prior to the 2017 oyster recruitment season in late February. Should you have any queries regarding this matter, please contact Cherie O'Sullivan of our office on 53296147. Yours sincerely (7 . Diygadcte Martin Drydale Director Planning & Infrastructure NOOSA COUNCIL ABN: 97 969 214 12