2017-01-16 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                   16 JANUARY 2017


Downstream the southern river bank becomes increasingly more developed, whilst the Noosa
North Shore remains relatively intact with the coastal areas being declared part of the Cooloola
Recreation Area of the Great Sandy National Park.
A number of small in-stream islands, notably Makepeace, Sheep, Goat and Keyser Islands, occupy
the lower reaches of the estuary, along with Doonella Lake and Lake Weyba in the south which
are shallow tidal lakes fringed by mangroves, saltmarsh and Melaleuca woodland. Weyba Creek
a shallow, meandering estuarine channel with seagrass beds and connects Lake Weyba to the
river channel.
State Government declared Fish Habitat Areas (FHA) encompass parts of the lower and upper
estuary, Weyba Creek, Lake Weyba, Doonella Lake and Lakes Cooroibah and Cootharaba, Como
and tributaries. This declaration protects the fish habitat values which support the region’s
commercial and recreational fisheries.
At the river mouth, sandbanks and islands support an abundance and diversity of migratory
shorebirds every spring and summer, which along with their habitats, are protected under
international agreements.
The riverside townships of Tewantin, Noosaville, canal developments of Noosa Waters and Noosa
Sound and Noosa Heads (with its world class surfing beaches and bays), are the Shire’s major
residential and tourist centres.
The population within the Noosa River catchment is approximately 54,410 people (as at 30 June,
2013).
Land use
Around two thirds (61%) of the Noosa River catchment is remnant vegetation, about a third is used
for rural purposes (33%), and only a small area (6%) is urban (Source: SEQ Regional Plan 2031
projection).
The significant areas of land adjoining the headwaters of the river are protected in an undisturbed
vegetated condition as State Forest or National Park. This has been a key factor in maintaining the
rivers outstanding natural attributes including excellent water quality, diversity of in-stream habitats
and abundant fish communities.
The rural areas within the sub-catchments of Kin Kin, Cooloothin and Ringtail Creeks, originally
cleared for timber getting, evolved into dairying, agricultural and horticultural industries and quarry.
These rural industries were the early foundation of Noosa’s economy.
Urban development during the 1970s-80s saw the emergence of Hasting Street in Noosa Heads
as a world class tourism destination and along with further land subdivision and the subsequent
building boom, gave the Noosa economy an enormous and ongoing financial boost. However, the
environment of the lower Noosa Estuary has been substantially modified as a result.
Ecosystem Health
Over the last 15 years the ‘ecological condition’ or ‘health’ of the river catchment has been
assessed annually by Healthy Waterways and Catchments as part of South East Queensland’s
waterways monitoring programme. Since 2001, health ratings for the Noosa River catchment have
fluctuated between A (excellent condition) to B (good condition).
These fluctuations are often linked to rainfall intensity and duration as a general rule each
assessment year. Freshwater creeks 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 catchments.
In 2015, the monitoring programme evolved to further address and manage the increasing
pressures on river catchments, and better understand the impact of environmental condition on
the social and economic benefits waterways provide.



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