2016-02-02 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                          2 FEBRUARY 2016


REPORT
The purpose of this report is to provide Council with an overview of the waterways
monitoring obligations and activities currently underway in the Noosa Shire.
In Queensland, the quality of natural waters is protected under the Environment Protection
(Water) Policy 2009. This policy achieves the object of the Environmental Protection Act
1994 (EP Act) to protect Queensland’s waters while supporting ecologically sustainable
development. This is a legislative responsibility of Council and is achieved primarily through
the management of land use and operational activities.
Waterways monitoring also provides information about the health of Noosa’s river
catchments, and helps Council manage the risk to public health from primary recreational
use of Noosa’s bathing reserves, particularly following rainfall events.
In addition, community-based waterways monitoring provides educational opportunities for
local residents and school students to learn more about their local creeks and rivers through
active participation in water quality testing and frog monitoring.
1.   Waterways monitoring in the Noosa Shire
The waterways related monitoring activities currently undertaken by Council or on behalf of
Council include:
   site specific monitoring relating to new residential developments;
   operational specific monitoring relating to the Eumundi Road landfill;
   project specific monitoring relating to dredging operations and other waterways related
     projects;
   annual inspections of businesses with an Environmentally Relevant Activity (ERA)
     licence;
   complaint-driven investigations of pollution incidents, particularly occurring via the
     stormwater network;
   seasonal monitoring of Noosa’s bathing reserves for microbial pollution;
   annual ecosystem health assessments of the Noosa River catchment, lakes and
     estuary;
   monthly Waterwatch monitoring of the Noosa and Mary River catchments;
   seagrass and mangrove monitoring; and
   frog (threatened species) monitoring.
In 2012 a monitoring investigation of Lake Cootharaba’s high nitrogen concentrations was
also undertaken, which was flagged as a result of the annual ecosystem health assessments
of the Noosa River catchment.
For more details regarding these monitoring activities refer to Attachment 1.
2.   How the quality of natural waters is protected
The natural waters of the Noosa Shire include the Noosa River catchment, lakes and estuary
which cover 63% of the Shire; some tributaries of the Mary River catchment which cover
36% of the Shire; and minor tributaries of the Maroochy River catchment which cover 1% of
the Shire (refer Attachment 2).
For these natural waters of the Shire, a suite of Environmental Values (EVs) and Water
Quality Objectives (WQOs) have been established under the Environment Protection
(Water) Policy by the State Government in consultation with local communities (refer
Attachments 3 and 4).
EVs set out the qualities that make natural waters suitable for supporting aquatic
ecosystems and human uses such as drinking water, recreation, irrigation and aquaculture.




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