2017-01-16 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                         16 JANUARY 2017


                                                                                           ATTACHMENT 1
Current monitoring activities underway in the Noosa LGA.

 Statutory activities          Details
 Site specific monitoring      The following developments were required to undertake water quality monitoring
 relating to new residential   for a period of time following completion of their development:
 developments.                  Noosa Civic
                                  Doonella Estate
                                Noosa Springs
                                RACV Resort (nee Noosa Sanctuary)
                               Water quality monitoring is no longer sought from new developments because it
                               did not facilitate for prevention of problems to water quality. Financial efforts are
                               now focused on ensuring any water quality treatment measures within new
                               developments are constructed and maintained as required. This method allows
                               for operation of the developments to be consistent with the planned impacts to the
                               receiving water quality. A review of all Council bioretention basins has
                               commenced and it has shown that these bio basins have not been maintained.
                               More detailed assessments of the bio basins are now underway to facilitate for
                               adequate funding to be sourced in the next budget to rectify the basins and ensure
                               they operate as designed.

 Operational specific          Surface and groundwater monitoring undertaken quarterly to confirm that the
 monitoring relating to the    Landfill does not impact on the Environment Values (EVs) of receiving waters.
 Eumundi Road landfill.        Constituents that are monitored are indicators of leachate or other chemical
                               releases from the landfill.

 Project specific              Upstream and downstream monitoring is required during the operation of
 monitoring relating to        Environmentally Relevant Activities (ERA) i.e. dredging operations to monitor for
 dredging operations or        pollutants most likely to be generated from the activity. Other waterways related
 other waterways related       projects have to comply with State approvals and conditions in order to protect the
 projects.                     EVs of the natural waters in Noosa Shire.

 Annual inspections of         Council’s Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) inspect 9 businesses per year
 businesses with an            across the Shire to ensure compliance with their ERA license conditions. These
 Environmentally Relevant      include
 Activity (ERA) license.       - 3 boat maintenance/repair businesses;
                               - 1 metal recovery business;
                               - 1 surface coating business;
                               - 4 plastic product manufacturing businesses.

 Complaint-driven              Council’s EHOs investigate approximately 40 complaints per year relating to water
 investigations of pollution   quality including public health issues, contamination and accidents. Investigations
 incidents                     often involve tracing back through the stormwater network to the point source.

 Seasonal monitoring for       The program aims to ensure our popular river and ocean bathing beaches are
 microbial pollution within    bacterially safe for swimming. Council’s EHOs conducted this program annually
 Noosa’s bathing reserves      from 1994 to 2008. It was picked up again by the Sunshine Coast Council during
 (i.e. river and beach).       2012-13. Monitoring involves taking water samples on a regular basis during peak
                               swimming seasons. Obtaining laboratory test results for enterococci (bacterial
                               indicator), investigating catchment areas when very poor results are obtained. In
                               worst case scenarios, erecting public warning signs to avoid swimming near
                               stormwater outlets e.g. Noosa Heads Lions Par, Little Cove. This monitoring
                               minimizes the public health risks under the Public Health Act 2005.




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