2022-02-08 Planning and Environment Committee Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   8 FEBRUARY 2022




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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                        8 FEBRUARY 2022

               Ekman transport is where the sea surface currents move away from the coast with this net
               movement of surface water acting to draw up bottom waters towards the near-shore zone.
               !t is these bottom currents that resuspend Hincksia sordida thalli in the water column and play a
               large role in shifting the biomass of H. sordida towards the near shore zone in the first instance.
               Persistence of blooms in the near shore zone is then influenced by wave action and the prevailing
               wind direction (Elgin Associates, 2013).

           2.      Aim and Scope

           2.1    Aim

           The aim of the Noosa River Algae Monitoring Project is to:
              e   Collect baseline data to inform nuisance algal bloom management.
              e   Observe macroalgae species presence or absence at selected beach and river sites each
                  spring / summer season.
              e   Formally identify targeted (and other) macroalgae sampled.
               e   Build knowledge ofspecies growth habitsand the nature of their growth rates to inform
                   Council when a potential bloom event might be occurring.

           The program was designed as a preliminary investigation, which will be used to inform future data
           collection techniques and management options in regards to nuisance algal blooms.

           To date there has been insufficient data gathered to understand the processes of algal bloom
           formation in the Noosa River Estuary and Laguna Bay.

           2.2    Scope

           The sampling of algal growth in the Noosa River estuary started in 2018 around areas:
               e   Noosa Sound
               e   Noosa Waters Canal estate
               e   Goat Island
               e   Main Beach.

           The initial focus was to establish the presence or absence, size and density of the bloom forming
           algal species Hincksia sordida, targeting natural substrate such as sand, rocks, seagrass, woody
           vegetation and water, as well as built structures including jetty and bridge pylons, rock revetments
           and walls located in the Noosa Vvaters canal system.

           Monthly monitoring and sampling of algal growth during the winter/spring/summer season at more
           sites in the Noosa River estuary started in 2020.

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