2017-01-16 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                    16 JANUARY 2017


Statutory activities       Details
Upgrade of Noosa River     The existing flood study was completed in 1995. This upgrade will provide a
Flood model                confident basis for ongoing planning and decision making regarding land use
                           planning, development assessment, disaster management and waterways
                           management.
                           Specific objectives for the upgrade include developing an improved understanding
                           of:
                           - anticipated areas of inundation for existing and future climate scenarios;
                           - anticipated channel shifts and sand erosion/deposition for potential dredging,
                               maintenance and construction activities; and
                           - flood flow velocity distributions within the waterway and throughout the
                               adjacent floodplains.
                           Council will also seek to apply the findings of the upgraded hydraulic modeling (a
                           component of the existing flood study) to investigate management strategies for
                           shoreline erosion in the lower estuary.



Non-statutory activities   Details
Annual ecosystem health    Healthy Waterways manages this program on behalf of Noosa Council and other
assessments of the         local governments in South East Queensland.
Noosa River catchment      The Noosa River catchment is regarded as a ‘reference’ catchment in terms of
lakes and estuary (i.e.    ecosystem health for SE Qld.
Report Card).              Since 2001, health grades for the Noosa River catchment has fluctuated between
                           an A (excellent condition) to a B (good condition). These fluctuations are often
                           linked to rainfall intensity and duration as a general rule each assessment year.
                           Freshwater streams have better health ratings during a wet year, indicating a
                           positive influence of high water flows. In contrast, estuaries often have poorer
                           grades in wet years, when significant quantities of sediment and nutrients are
                           washed down from the upper catchment.
                           There are 5 freshwater and 17 estuarine monitoring sites assessed twice per year.
                           The indicators of ecosystem health used include nutrients (nitrogen &
                           phosphorus); habitat (quality of bed/banks streamside vegetation); aquatic
                           processes (rates of plant/algal growth); biota (variety/health of fish & macro
                           invertebrates); physical-chemical status (oxygen availability, temperature, water
                           clarity, salinity, acidity).
                           In 2015, Healthy Waterways introduced a new Waterway Benefits Rating to the
                           annual Report Card.
                           The Noosa River received an A- grade & 4.5 stars Waterway Benefit Rating. The
                           community rates their ability to use, and satisfaction with, the waterways very
                           highly. Excellent freshwater riparian and estuarine habitats.

Monthly Waterwatch         Noosa Waterwatch is a community based network of volunteers who monitor local
monitoring of Noosa and    creeks and rivers on a monthly basis. The Program is coordinated by Noosa and
Mary River catchments.     District Landcare and has been running for over 10 years.
                           There are 40 volunteers collecting data on 45 sites across the Noosa River and
                           Mary River (i.e. Six Mile Creek) catchments. Hinterland volunteers monitor 21
                           sites throughout Cooroy, Pomona and Kin Kin; whilst the coastal volunteers
                           monitor 24 sites throughout Noosa, Peregian and Boreen Point. Aquatic
                           macroinvertebrate or water bug surveys are also conducted at selected sites or
                           as requested by school groups. Water quality indicators at each site are monitored
                           and compared to the recommended guidelines for healthy waterways.
                           Council has supported this program in the past as an educational initiative through
                           the Community Grants Program.




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