2022-11-08 Planning & Environment Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                               8 NOVEMBER 2022


will collate all historical and current data into the State-wide Water Information Management
system (SWIM) database, owned by Qldwater and locally updated by Noosa Council, which will
ensure consistency and accuracy with data management. Historical and future data will be used
to develop sub-catchment report cards which will identify priority areas for management and guide
future management actions.
2.   Remote sensing stations
A trial of three automatic remote sensing water loggers will be installed this financial year. The
loggers will be equipped with pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and
turbidity probes, with the locations anticipated to be in the Noosa River, Mary River and Kin Kin
Creek. The loggers will provide near real time in situ monitoring data which will be uploaded to a
cloud-based platform, Grafana, every 15 minutes. The data collected from the loggers will be used
to identify trends over time, monitor events such as high rainfall where increases in water quality
monitoring parameters such as turbidity may occur, and assist with identifying impacts on the
catchment to prioritise management actions. The loggers will capture long-term monitoring data to
complement the Keeping it in Kin Kin program, which aims to reduce sediment run-off in the Kin
Kin catchment; monitor the effects of run-off from the industrial estate in Noosaville; and capture
long term monitoring data in the Mary River catchment to determine the impact of events such as
high rainfall on aquatic ecosystems.
3.   Public dashboard
A public dashboard will be set up on Council’s website to provide a platform for the community to
access real time data from the water loggers, providing openness and transparency which in turn
may support decision making and policy processes. The data will be uploaded to the dashboard
through Grafana. The dashboard will provide the data in the forms of tables, graphs and maps and
allow users to export the data in CSV or Excel format. The platform will also be able to support
data from other departments of Council.
4.   Event-based and point source monitoring
The program will include event-based water quality monitoring during periods of increased
waterway discharge such as ‘first flush’ events at the beginning of wet seasons and during periods
of high rainfall. Point source monitoring will be another focus, including run-off from stormwater
drainage and wastewater systems. The monitoring data will be used to identify changes in water
quality and to estimate loads of contaminants. This information can then be used to further identify
the source/s of run-off and determine management actions; for example, businesses in the
Noosaville industrial area found to be contributing contaminants to stormwater could be the focus
of educational activities with the aim to provide an understanding of the impact of run-off into
surrounding waterways.
Waterways are influenced by activities occurring within their catchments and some activities can
result in different types of pollution entering waterways. One particular pollution type which is of
relevance to recreational waterway users, is enterococci bacterial pollution. There is a strong link
between rainfall events and the type of activities upstream including run-off and the health of
waterways. The Environmental Health Branch has a focus on pollution of waterways, and therefore
a coordinated approach to event-based and point source monitoring will be developed between
the Environment Services Branch and Environmental Health Branch to address both recreational
water quality and environmental concerns.
5.   Workshops
Several workshops will be held to consult with internal and external stakeholders involved in the
program. An initial water quality workshop was held in July 2022, with attendees from Noosa
Council, Department of Environment and Science (DES), Healthy Land & Water, University of the
Sunshine Coast (USC), NRM groups and The Nature Conservancy. The purpose of the workshop
was to share information and consolidate ideas about the Noosa and Mary River Catchment
programs; restate the dialogue among NRM groups and Noosa Council; and present an overview
of what an integrated water quality monitoring plan will consist of going forward.

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