Waterway Health Strategy - 2009An Integrated Approach to Waterway Health Management

for Ipswich City Council

Final Version

Date: July 2009

Author: Kaye Cavanagh

Supervisor: Darryl Porche

Lead Department: HealthParksandRecreation

Audience: Ipswich City Council

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYTheWaterwayHealthStrategy(WHS)hasbeendevelopedtoassistIpswichCityCouncilwiththe management and enhancement of the natural waterways that run through the City of Ipswich.Itprescribesachange in current management practices to address waterway health improvementasanintegralcomponentofTotalWaterCycleManagement.Thiswillentailachange from focussing primarily on end-of-pipesolutionstohavinggreateremphasisonsource-of-impactmanagement,andripariancorridorprotection,managementandenhancement.TheStrategyalsoidentifiestheneedtoprioritise management activities based on addressing theimpactsassociatedwithspecificlandusesandtargeting actioninthefreshwatersub-catchments.

Overthepastdecade,Councilhasplayedastrongleadershipandsupportroleinthedevelopmentandimplementationoflocalandregionalcatchmentmanagementstrategies,asakeystakeholder.CouncilisnowfocussingoncatchmentandwaterwaymanagementfromwithintheorganisationtodeterminehowitwillachievetheobjectivesoftheCorporatePlan2007-2012,Ipswich2020andBeyond,SEQRegionalPlan,SEQNRMPlan,SEQHealthyWaterwaysStrategy,BremerRiverCatchmentManagementStrategyStage2andcompliancewithrelevantlegislation.

ThreepriorityManagementThemes,Water Quality Improvement,Riparian Corridor Management,andCommunity Appreciation,givefocustoCouncil’sinvestmentandeffortinwaterwayhealthimprovement,takingintoconsideration:

The current health of Ipswich waterways•

Council’srolesandresponsibilitiesinwaterwayhealthmanagement•

Regionalplanningandlegislativerequirements,and•

Communitydesiresandvisionsforwaterwayhealth.•

TheprimarywaterwayinIpswich,theBremerRiver,isahighlydegradedsystemthatfailstomeetQueenslandGovernmentregulatedwaterqualityobjectivesandscorespoorlythroughtheregionalEcosystemHealthMonitoringProgram.TheWHSsetsthedirectionforCounciltoworktowardsthesewaterqualityobjectivesasaspirationaltargets,whilstrecognisingthattheBremerRivermayneverhavemetsomeoftheseobjectivespriortoEuropeansettlementandmostlikelywillneverachievetheseintheshorttomediumterm.Morerelevant,localobjectiveswillgiveCouncilandthecommunityabettersenseofpossibilityinwaterwayhealthmanagement.TheWHSvisionistoimprovethehealthofIpswichwaterwaystoachieveandmaintaina‘D+’ratingfortheBremerRiverestuaryanda‘C’ratingforthefreshwatertributaries,by2031.

Council’s greatest capacity to improve waterway health that can be undertaken immediately andthatfitswithinitsrolesandresponsibilitiesistouseplanningmechanisms,strategiesandpartnershipsto:

1. IntegratewaterwayhealthmanagementobjectivesintoCouncil’sdaytodayactivities,

2. Reducethequantityofsediment,nutrientsandotherpollutantsbeingtransportedbyurbanstormwater,and

3. Protect,manageandenhanceripariancorridors.

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KEYS TO SUCCESSSuccessfulimplementationoftheWHSwillbeachievedthrough:

Congruence of ideas across all•stakeholders

Coordinated planning and targeted•implementationofmanagementactions

Appropriateallocationofbudget•andidentificationofalternativesources of funding

Increasededucationandawareness•

Knowledgeandappreciationof•waterway health ecosystem services

COST OF IMPLEMENTATION PreviousmanagementactivitiesundertakenbyCounciltoimprovewaterwayhealth,such as Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrades,demonstratethehighcostofimplementation.TheSEQHealthyWaterwaysPartnershiphasestimatedacostof$40MtoreducetheimpactsoferosionandsedimentationintheBremerRiverCatchment.In2008,theStateGovernmentcommitted$8Mforthreeon-groundprojectsinSEQtoreducetheimpactsoferosiononwaterqualityinruralareas,underthe‘HealthyCountry’program.

Itisdifficulttopredictthefullcostofimplementationacrossthecity,giventhewiderangeofmanagementactionsrequired.TheWHSrecommendsthedevelopmentofsub-catchmentbasedLocal Waterway Management Plans(LWMP)toidentifyprioritymanagementactionsandprovideindicativecostingforthese.ThefirstLWMPwillbecompletedforBundambaCreek,giventheexpectedchangesinthecatchment with urban development of RipleyValley.

Inmostcases,Councildoesn’thavetobearthefullcostofimplementationofmanagementactions.Someactivitieswill be undertaken solely or in part by externalparties,orfundedthroughothermechanisms,suchas:

Compliance of erosion and sediment•regulationsonbuildingandconstructionsites

ImplementationofthePriority•InfrastructurePolicyforStormwaterand infrastructure charging for newurban developments

Partnerships with industry and•private landholders for riparianrevegetationandrehabilitation

ImplementationoftheNature•ConservationStrategy

AdvocacyofStateagencies•

Industry upgrades of point source•discharges

Externalfundingforwaterreuseand•stormwaterharvestingprojects

However,Councilwillstillberesponsiblefortheon-goingmanagementandmaintenanceofinfrastructure,suchaswatersensitiveurbandesignassets,withacommitmentofcorefundingtowardsthese.ItisalsoarecommendationofthisStrategy,thatCouncil changes its focus in waterway health management towards addressing the impactsatsource.Thiswillrequire:

Acommittedfinancialandresource•investment

Abettercoordinatedapproach•for stormwater and infrastructureplanning,managementandmaintenance in new urban areas

Retrofitofstormwaterquality•improvementdevicesinexistingurban areas

Rehabilitationofripariancorridors•and

Targetededucationprogramsfor•internalandexternalstakeholders.

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REVIEW PROCESSTheWHSisastrategicleveldocument,endorsedbyIpswichCityCouncilasacorporateprojectforthenext3years.Thefirstreviewwillbeundertakenat18months,fromthedateofCounciladoption,toupdateandensurerelevanceandaccuracyofintent.AcomprehensivereviewoftheStrategywillcommencein2.5years.

TARGET AUDIENCETheWHShasbeendevelopedforuseby:

CommunityStakeholders•

ElectedRepresentatives•

AllCouncilplanninganddeliverystaff•

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STRUCTURETheWHShasbeenstructuredintotopic-basedsectionstogiveanoverviewof:

Where we are now•

Where we want to be•

How we will get there and•

When we are there•

Figure1.WaterwayHealthStrategyStructure

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3

STRUCTURE . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6

1. INTRODUCTION.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 11

1.1WhsObjectives .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 14

1.2KeyMessages .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 14

1.3StrategyDevelopment . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 15

1.4HowImplementationOfTheWaterwayHealthStrategyFitsInWithCorporate Plan . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 15

1.5TheOnePlan. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 16

SECTION 1 - SETTING THE SCENE .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 172. SNAPSHOT OF WATERWAY HEALTH IN IPSWICH . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 18

2.1WaterwayHealthInTheBremerRiverCatchment . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 19

2.2WaterwayHealthInTheBrisbaneRiverCatchment .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 20

2.2.1MidBrisbaneRiver.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 21

2.2.2LowerBrisbaneRiver . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 22

3. SNAPSHOT OF WATERWAY HEALTH MANAGEMENT IN COUNCIL. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 23

3.1WaterwayHealthManagementActivitiesInCouncil. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 24

3.2WaterwayHealthManagementApproachesInRuralAndUrbanAreas .. .. .. . 24

3.2.1RuralAreas .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .25

3.2.2UrbanAreas. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 25

4. WHAT ARE THE INFLUENCES ON WATERWAY HEALTH MANAGEMENT . .. .. .. .. .. . 26

4.1EnvironmentalValuesAndWaterQualityObjectives .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 26

4.2CatchmentManagementModelling .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 27

4.3ClassificationOfWaterwaysUsingTheStreamOrderSystem . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 28

4.4WaterwayHealthManagementRecognisedAsCoreBusiness .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 29

4.5LegislationAndRegionalPlanning .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 29

5. MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 31

5.1EnvironmentalChallenges . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 31

5.2LandUseChallenges . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 31

5.3ManagementChallenges .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 32

SECTION 2 - VISIONS AND TARGETS. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 336. VISION.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 35

6.1SettingTheVision .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 35

6.2HowTheVisionWillBeAchieved . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 36

6.3SettingAchievableTargets. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 36

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SECTION 3 - INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 37

7. INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 38

7.1Council’sRolesAndResponsibilities .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 38

7.2ManagementThemes.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 39

7.3PerformanceMeasuresBy2011 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 40

SECTION 4 - MANAGEMENT THEMES . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 418. THEME 1 – WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 42

8.1WhyIsWaterQualityImportant .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 42

8.2KeyThreatsToWaterQualityInIpswich .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 43

8.3BroadImpactsOnWaterQualityInIpswich.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 44

8.3.1PointSourcePollution.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 45

8.3.2UrbanDiffusePollution. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 45

8.3.3Non-UrbanDiffusePollution . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 45

8.3.4PeakFlows/UrbanStormwaterRun-Off.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 46

8.4HowWaterQualityWillBeManagedInIpswich.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 46

8.5KeyObjectivesForWaterQualityImprovement.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 47

9. THEME 2 – RIPARIAN CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 49

9.1WhyRiparianCorridorsAreImportant.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .49

9.2WhatAreTheBroadImpactsOnRiparianCorridorConditionInIpswich . .. .. . 49

9.2.1ReductionInRiparianCorridorWidth.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .49

9.2.2InvasionOfExoticGrassesAndWoodyWeedSpecies .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 50

9.3AdoptingAnAppropriateRiparianCorridorWidthForIpswich.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 51

9.4RiparianCorridorWidthsToBeAdoptedForIpswichWaterways . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 52

9.5HowRiparianCorridorsWillBeManagedInIpswich. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 54

9.5.1APartnershipApproachToRiparianCorridorManagement .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 54

9.5.2MechanismsForRiparianManagement . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 55

9.5.3PrioritisationOfAreas.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 55

9.6KeyObjectivesForRiparianCorridorManagement.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 56

10. THEME 3 - COMMUNITY AWARENESS & ENGAGEMENT . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 57

10.1WhatIsCommunityAwarenessAndEngagement.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 57

10.2WhyCommunityAwarenessAndEngagementIsImportant . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 57

10.3TargetedAwarenessAndEngagementObjectivesAndOpportunitiesToSupportTheKeyStakeholderGroups .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 58

10.3.1Landholders–RuralAndPeri-Urban.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 58

10.3.2Landholders–Urban.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 59

10.3.3BusinessAndIndustry. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 59

10.3.4DevelopmentBodies.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 60

10.4ManagementPriorities. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 60

10.5KeyObjectivesForCommunityEngagementAndAwareness.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 60

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SECTION 5 - IMPLEMENTATION AND ACTION.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 61

11. IMPLEMENTATION AND ACTION .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 62

11.1TwoKeyImplementationActions .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .62

11.2LocalWaterwayManagementPlans. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 63

11.3AlignmentToOtherPlans.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 63

11.4ManagementActionPlan .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 63

11.3.1Theme1-WaterQualityImprovement .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 64

11.3.2Theme2-RiparianCorridorManagement. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 69

11.3.3Theme3-CommunityEngagementAndAwareness .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 72

SECTION 6 - ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 7312. ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 74

12.1MonitoringandEvaluation. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 74

GLOSSARY . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 75

DEFINITIONS.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 76

REFERENCES .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 79

APPENDICES .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 81Appendix1.Milestonesandachievements.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 82

Appendix2.Waterqualityobjectivesandguidelinesrelevanttoipswich .. .. .. .. .. .. . 84

Appendix3.Nationallegislationandstatelegislationrelevanttowaterway health management.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 84

Appendix4.SEQHealthyWaterwaysPartnershipmanagementscenarios. .. .. .. .. .. . 86

Appendix5.Streamorderdiagram. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 87

Appendix6.Potentialclimatechangeimpactsonipswichwaterways.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 88

Appendix7.Potentialimpactsfromperi-urbanareas. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 90

Appendix8.Hierarchyofrolesandresponsibilitiesinwaterwayhealth management. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 90

Appendix9.WaterSensitiveUrbanDesignandLowImpactDevelopmentopportunities............................................... 91

Appendix10.Locationofidentifiedscheduledspeciesfoundalongipswich waterways .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 94

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FIGURES Figure1.WaterwayHealthStrategyStructure .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6

Figure2.StrategyDevelopmentProcess.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 15

Figure3.Social,EnvironmentalandEconomicValuesofWaterwayHealth . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 15

Figure4.InternalandExternalInfluencesonWaterwayHealthManagement .. .. .. .. .. . 16

Figure5.Proportionoflandforrural,naturalandurbanuseintheBremerRivercatchment(IpswichLGA).. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 19

Figure6.Proportionoflandforrural,naturalandurbanuseintheMidBrisbaneRivercatchment(IpswichLGA) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 21

Figure7.Proportionoflandforrural,naturalandurbanuseintheLowerBrisbaneRivercatchment(IpswichLGA) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .22

Figure8.Statutoryandnon-statutoryinstruments(Source:SEQHWS) . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 26

Figure9.Changesinwaterwayhealthovertimewithdifferentmanagementapproaches(Source:SEQHWS).. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 28

Figure10.WHS-informingCouncilplansandpoliciestomeetStatelegislationandregional plans. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 30

Figure11.LinkingLocalandRegionalVisions. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 35

Figure12.SettingachievabletargetsforIpswichwaterways. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 36

Figure13.ExpectedchangesinpollutantloadstotheBremerRiverwaterwaysfrom2004–2026(graphtakenfromSEQHWSBremerActionPlanp.27) .. .. .. .. . 42

Figure14.Vegetatedripariancorridorwidths. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 52

Figure15.HierarchyofplansforWaterwayHealthManagementinIpswich. .. .. .. .. .. . 63

TABLES Table1.AnnualSEQHealthyWaterwaysReportCardRatingforwaterwaysinIpswich . 18

Table2.CurrentandProposedPlanningActivitiesforIpswichCityCouncil . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 24

Table3.TotallengthandpercentageofstreamordersinIpswich . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 28

Table4.BroadImpactsandMajorThreatsonWaterQuality .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 44

Table5.SomeofthemajorriparianweedsinIpswich. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 50

Table6.Recommendedminimumripariancorridorwidths .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 53

Table7.Minimumripariancorridorwidths,basedonstreamorder,formajor waterways in Ipswich . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 53

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INTRODUCTION

‘Lookafterit,anditwilllookafteryou.’Jim Papalois

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The future of Waterway Health in Ipswich will be secured through Council’s leadership and commitment to the development and implementationofkeystrategies,policiesandmanagementactionplanstoturnthecorner in water quality decline and start the processofrecovery.

Overthepastdecade,Councilhascontributedtoandparticipatedinmany local and regional catchment managementinitiatives,leadingtothedevelopmentofnumerousstrategies,plans,guidelinesandmanagementactions,allwithvaryingvisionsandtargets.Thismultiplicityofapproaches,andevolvinginstitutionalarrangementsinregionalcatchmentmanagement,haspromptedthedevelopmentoftheWHSasaCouncil-centricframeworkandstrategicdirectionto guide waterway health management in Ipswich.

ItistimelyforCounciltoconsideritsapproach to waterway health management withrapidlyincreasingpopulationgrowthandprojectedclimatechangeimpacts.Implementationofmanagementactionswillprotectthelong-termsustainabilityofthecity’sresources,maintaineconomicviabilityand achieve the vision of Clean and Healthy WaterwaysasidentifiedinIpswich2020andBeyondandCorporatePlan2007-2012.

WHAT IF IPSWICH CITY COUNCIL DID NOTHING? Ipswichresidentswouldsee:

Acontinualdeclineofwaterway•healthintheBremerRiverandotherwaterways in Ipswich

Increased downstream impacts on•theBrisbaneRiverandMoretonBayMarinePark

Reduced liveability of the•city,impactingonthesocial,environmental and economic valuesof Ipswich;

Lossofriparianandin-stream•habitatfornativefloraandfauna;

Lossofwater-basedrecreational•opportunities,and

Significantremediationcoststo•repairdamageinthefuture.

Thehealthofourwaterwaysreflecthowwemanage land and water resources across thecatchment.Waterwayssuffertheconsequencesofpoorlandusepracticesandreapthebenefitsofefficientandeffectivemanagement,suchasstormwaterimprovement,wastewatertreatmentplantupgradesandriparianrehabilitation.Clean,safeandhealthywaterwaysareessentialtothe liveability and economic viability of the city.

Preventativemeasurestomanagetheimpactsonwaterwayhealthtodayisoftenmorecost-effectivethanimplementingmeasures to reverse the decline in waterwayhealthinthefuture.IpswichCityCouncil’s strengths lie in sustainable land useplanning,andthedeliveryofpoliciesandprojectsbothatagrass-rootsandsub-regionallevel.

TheWHSprovidesCouncilwithanIntegrated Management Framework and identifiesthreeManagement Themes to guide delivery of a corporate approach that incorporates all facets of waterway health managementacrosstheorganisation.TheWHSisCouncil’s‘oneoverarchingplan’forwaterwayhealthmanagement.

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1.1 WHS OBJECTIVESObjectivesoftheWHSareto:

Provide Council with a broad•understanding of the current statusof waterway health in Ipswich

Guidemanagementactionsto•ensure desired outcomes areachieved

Guidemanagementactivitiesto•protectandenhancetheintegrity,amenity,habitatvalueandrecreationalopportunitiesofourwaterways

Provide an integrated management•framework to meet commitmentsto regional planning strategies andobligationsundernationalandstatelegislation

Encouragecommunityparticipation•inmanagement,useandappreciationofourwaterways

1.2 KEY MESSAGES1. Waterwayhealthmanagement

is an investment in the futureliveability of the City

2. Council’scommitmenttoimproving waterway health isbased on1:

Protectingareasingood•condition

Managingandenhancing•areasinmoderatecondition

Preventinganyfurther•decline of areas in poorcondition

Informing future•managementactionsthroughanadaptivemanagement framework

3. BetterwaterwayhealthinIpswich will be achievedthrough a coordinated andcollaborativeapproachacrossallareas of Council and strategic useof funding and otheropportunitiesforimprovement.

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1InlinewithEPP(Water)recommendations

1.3 STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT TheWHSisawhole-of-Councildocument,developedthroughcoordinatedconsultationacrosskeydepartmentsandstakeholders.InternalstakeholdersinvolvedinthedevelopmentoftheWHSincluderepresentativesfrom:

HealthParksandRecreation•

EngineeringServices•

Planning and Development•

Ipswich Water•

IpswichWasteServices•

Figure2.StrategyDevelopmentProcess

1.4 HOW IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WATERWAY HEALTH STRATEGY FITS IN WITH CORPORATE PLAN

ImplementationoftheWHSwillassistinthedeliveryofsustainablemanagementinitiativestoachievethevisionofliveability,improvedvisualamenity,accessibilityandhigherwaterqualityasidentifiedintheCorporatePlan2007-2012.Section 3 - Integrated Management Framework and Section 4 - Management Themesoutlinethemanagementactionsneededtoaddressimpactsonthesocial,economicandenvironmentalvaluesofIpswich’swaterways.

Figure3.Social,EnvironmentalandEconomicValuesofWaterwayHealth

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1.5 THE ONE PLANTheWHSisCouncil’s‘oneoverarchingplan’thatbringstogetherallinternalandexternaldriversofwaterwayhealthmanagementandgivesacleardecision-makingframeworkforallareasofCouncil.ImplementationoftheWHSwillallowCounciltoachievelegislativerequirementsandregionalplanningtargets,throughtheimplementationofmanagementactionsandthedevelopmentofLocal Waterway Management Plans.

Figure4.InternalandExternalInfluencesonWaterwayHealthManagement

SECTION 1 - SETTING THE SCENE

‘Is there some principle of nature which states that we never know the quality of whatwehaveuntilitisgone?’

Richard Hofstadter

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2. SNAPSHOT OFWATERWAYHEALTH IN IPSWICH

Overall,waterwayhealthinIpswichisratedpoor or very poor based on assessments ofwaterqualityandriparianvegetationconditioninbothfreshwaterandestuarinesystems2.Mostwaterwayshavebeensignificantlymodifiedoralteredfromthepre-Europeanstate,withonlyafewwaterwaysstillmaintainingaspectsofthenaturalfeatures,biodiversityandecosystemfunctionsrepresentativeofawaterwayinahealthynaturalstate.

Since2001,theSEQHealthyWaterwaysPartnershiphasprovidedanannual‘score-card’ratingforwaterwayhealthinsouth-eastQueensland(Table1),froman‘A’forexcellenttoa‘F’forfailedecosystemhealth.Waterways in Ipswich have primarily receiveda‘D’or‘F’ratingsincethestartofthisprogramduetoacombinationofpastandcurrentinfluences.

There has been no assessment of what the pre-EuropeanratingforIpswichwaterwayswouldhavebeen.ModellingindicatesthattheBremerwouldnothavemetcurrentwaterqualityobjectivesforparameterssuchas nitrogen3.

ThemajorinfluencesthatimpactonwaterwayhealthinIpswichare:

Point Source Pollutants• -historicaland current discharges of industrialandsewageeffluent.

Diffuse Source Pollutants• -movementofsediment,nutrientsand other contaminants from ruralandurbanareas.

Local Climate and Rainfall•Variability-highintensitystormswithshortsharppeaks,extendedperiodsoflimitedrainfall,highevaporationrates.

Naturally Low Freshwater Flow•– combinedwithextractionforruralactivities,industryandpowerproduction.

Enclosed Tidal Estuary• –alongresidencetime(upto190days)intheBremerRiverestuary.

Highly Dispersive Soils• –highlymobilesoilsinsomefreshwatersub-catchments.

Loss of Native Riparian Vegetation•– extensiveclearingofnativevegetation.

Table1.AnnualSEQHealthyWaterwaysReportCardRatingforwaterwaysinIpswich

Year

Catchment

Estuary Freshwater

Brem

er

Low

er

Bris

bane

Brem

er

Mid

Br

isba

ne

2001 F D- F C

2002 F D- F C

2003 F D- D- C

2004 F D- D- B-

2005 F D- D- C+

2006 F D- D- C+

2007 D- D+ D B-

2008 F D+ D- B

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2EHMP,BremerStateoftheRiversReport3SEQHWPScenarioModelling

2.1 WATERWAY HEALTH IN THE BREMER RIVER CATCHMENTTheBremerRiverestuaryisconsideredasthemostdegradedestuaryinSEQ,withthehighestlevelsofnutrientandsedimentloadsintheregion(SEQWHS2007-2012).WaterqualityintheBremerRiverhasbeendescribedasextremelypoor,dueto:

Highlevelsofnitrogenandphosphorus.•

Highlevelsofturbidity(suspendedsolids).•

Highphytoplanktonbiomass,light-limitedphytoplanktonandabundantbacterialevels.•

Veryhighlevelsoforganiccarbon.•

Lowconcentrationsofdissolvedoxygen.•

Figure5.Proportionoflandforrural,naturalandurbanuseintheBremerRivercatchment(IpswichLGA)

Highlevelsofnutrientsandpollutantsareprimarilyderivedfromstormwaterinputs,pointsourcedischargesandurbanrun-off.Theuppercatchmentsarealsoanimportantcontributorofnutrientsandsedimentstotheestuary,mostlyduringsignificantraineventsthroughgullyandchannelerosion.Highlevelsoforganiccarbonhavebeenrecordedintheestuary.

LEGEND

BremerRiverCatchment

UrbanAreas

NaturalAreas

CityBoundary

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The‘failed’ecosystemhealthratingintheBremerRiverestuaryisfurtherexacerbatedbylowflowratesduetonaturalandanthropogenicinfluences.Someoftheflowwaspreviouslyattributedtoinputsfromcouncil’swastewatertreatmentplants.Since2006,mostofthisflow,primarilyindryweather,hasbeenremovedfromtheriver with the Western Corridor Recycled Waterscheme.Industrialpointsourcesandwetweatherdischargeswillstilloccur,withadditionalflowscomingfromurbanandcommercialstormwaterrun-off.ThenaturalconditionsoflowfreshwaterflowcoupledwiththetidalinfluencefromtheBrisbaneRiver,meanspollutantsandsedimentsbecome‘trapped’withintheestuary,overloadingthesystem.Alongresidencetimeofupto190days(thehighestintheMoretonBayregion),hasbeenreportedfortheBremer.Effectively,thesystemdoesnotreceiveregularflushingofpollutants.

Themajorityofwaterwaysaresusceptibletodestabilisationandtransportofdispersivesoilswithinthecatchment,particularlywithin new development areas of the upper BundambaandDeebingCreekcatchments.Inexistingareaspoormanagementofstormwater has created localised scours at outflowpointsoncreekandriverbanks.

The channel morphology of receiving waterways with high banks leads to further erosionandslumping,resultingindeeplyincisedbanks.Themajorityofwaterwayshavelittletononativeriparianvegetationincontinuousstands,reducingitscapacitytofiltersedimentandnutrientsfromoverlandflowandincreasingtheriskofbankinstability.TheStateoftheRiversReportfortheBremerRiver,completedin1998,foundriparian corridors within the catchment to beinmoderatetopoorcondition,basedonthecorridorwidth,speciescompositionandstructuraldiversity.Approximately10%ofriparianvegetationisingoodorverygoodcondition,18%inmoderatecondition,andtheremaining72%ratedeitherpoororverypoor.

2.2 WATERWAY HEALTH IN THE BRISBANE RIVER CATCHMENT

TheBrisbaneRiveristhelargestriversysteminSouthEastQueensland,extendingfromitsheadwatersnorth-eastofNanangotoMoretonBayatLuggagePoint.TheBrisbaneRiverflowsintotheMoretonBay,oneofSouthEastQueensland’smostimportantmarinenurseryareas.TheMoretonBayMarineParkhasbeenclassifiedasawetlandofinternationalsignificanceundertheRAMSARConvention.

Duetoitssize,theBrisbaneRivercatchmenthas been divided into three management sections,asfollows:

UpperBrisbaneRiver-extending•from the headwaters to WivenhoeDam.

MidBrisbaneRiver-fromWivenhoe•DamwalltoMtCrosbyWeir.

LowerBrisbaneRiver-fromMt•CrosbyWeirtoLuggagePoint.

OnlysectionsoftheMidBrisbaneandLowerBrisbaneRivercatchmentsliewithinor form the boundaries of Ipswich City Council.

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2.2.1 Mid Brisbane RiverTheMid-BrisbanesectionistheprimarydrinkingwatercatchmentforSouthEastQueensland,providingwaterformostofBrisbaneandIpswich.TheMidBrisbaneisclassifiedundertheWaterAct2000throughtheWaterResource(Moreton)PlanasaPriorityArea1fordrinkingwatersupply.Itisalsoakeywaterresourceforirrigation,stockgrazing,passiverecreationaluseandecologicalfunctioning.

Figure6.Proportionoflandforrural,naturalandurbanuseintheMidBrisbaneRivercatchment(IpswichLGA)

TheMidBrisbaneRiverisinfluencedbyupstreaminputsfromWivenhoeDamandtheLockyerRivercatchment.Theprimarylanduseswithinthecatchmentconsistsofgrazing,cropping,ruralresidentialdevelopment,andsandandgravelextractionatPineMountain.ThebiggestthreattowaterqualityintheMidBrisbaneRiverissediment,nutrient,pesticideandherbicideinputs from current land uses4.ReuseofeffluentviatheWesternCorridorRecycledWaterschemeforirrigationintheLockyerCreekcatchmentmayresultinfurtherloadsofnutrientsintotheriversystem.ThehighnutrientlevelsincreasetheriskofalgalbloomsatMtCrosbyWeir.

Riparianandin-streamconditionisimpactedonbythecontinualreleaseofwaterfromWivenhoeDam.Constantdamreleasesremovethenaturalflowvariationandincreasestheriskofbankslumpingduetoconstantsaturationofbanksoils.Lossofnativeriparianvegetationinsomesections,primarilyforagriculturalpurposes,reducestheuptakeofwater,increasingbanksaturationandsubsequenterosion.

LEGEND

MidBrisbaneRiverCatchment

UrbanAreas

NaturalAreas

CityBoundary

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4SEQHWPComplexConceptualModel‘Mid-BrisbaneRiver’

2.2.2 Lower Brisbane RiverTheLowerBrisbaneRiverformsmostoftheboundarybetweenIpswichCityandBrisbaneCityCouncil,extendingfromCollegesCrossingtoGailes.Sectionsoftheriverareusedregularlyforpassiveandactiverecreationaluse,includingjetboating,waterskiingandfishing,primarilybetweenKaraleeandBorallonPoint.

Figure7.Proportionoflandforrural,naturalandurbanuseintheLowerBrisbaneRivercatchment(IpswichLGA)

WaterwayhealthintheLowerBrisbaneRiverisinfluencedbyurbanrun-off,pointsourcedischargesandindustrialinputs.Sedimentloads,carryingattachednutrientsandpesticides,isamajorthreattowaterquality,aquaticbiodiversityandin-streamhabitats.

TheLowerBrisbaneRivercatchmenthasthehighestconcentrationofurbanandindustriallandusesinQueensland,withurbanexpansioncontinuingintheheadwatercatchmentsofWoogarooandOpossumCreeks.ExtensiveupgradesofmajorinfrastructurebetweenIpswichandBrisbanealsocontributesignificantamountsofsedimentandreducethevegetationcoverinthecatchment.

LEGEND

LowerBrisbaneRiverCatchment

UrbanAreas

NaturalAreas

CityBoundary

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3. SNAPSHOT OFWATERWAYHEALTHMANAGEMENTIN COUNCIL

Council currently undertakes waterway healthmanagementinthreebroadareas:

1. Developingandimplementingplanning documents andmanagementactivitiestofulfillegislativerequirements.

2. Supportingregionalnaturalresource management as astakeholderinregionalplanning,operationalprogramsandeducationalinitiatives.

3. Deliveringon-groundnaturalresourcemanagement,stormwater improvement andwasteminimisationactivities.

Primarily,thesearedoneascomponentsof Council’s core activities and functions,including:

Strategiclanduseplanningand•development assessments

Acquisitionandmanagementof•publicly owned land

Constructionandmaintenanceof•publicinfrastructure,and

Regulationofenvironmentalrisks.•

Secondly,waterwayhealthmanagementisachieved,directlyorindirectly,througha number of projects and programs with externalorganisations,landholdersandthegeneralcommunity,suchas:

Private landholder support programs•(LandforWildlife,PartneringAgreements)

Environmentaleducationmaterial,•workshops and events

Supporttolocalandregionalnatural•resource management groups

Investigatingopportunitiesin•market-basedmechanismsforon-groundoutcomesonprivateland,eg:CatchmentProtectionPayments/CatchmentIncentives/Offsets

Sourcingexternalfunding•forriparianprotectionandrehabilitationprojectsanddevolvedgrants.

Variousrolesandresponsibilitiesforwaterway health management sit within thedifferentdepartmentsofCouncil,allapproachingitfromdifferentperspectivesandoftentomeetdifferentlegislativerequirements.Somecoordinationoccurredthrough internal groups such as the WaterwayManagementGroup(WMG),reportingonCouncil-wideissues.However,themajorityofcoordinationoccursthroughadhocdiscussionsatofficerlevel.

Todate,managementactivitieshavefocused on water quality improvement atpointsourcestosatisfylegislativerequirements under the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy,ortomeetcommitments in regional planning documentssuchastheSEQRegionalPlanandSEQHealthyWaterwaysStrategy2007-2012(SEQHWS).Therehasbeenlimitedfocusontheimpactsofvariableflowratesfromdifferentlandusesonchannelmorphologyorin-streamprocesses,ortheimpactsofdiffusesourcepollutionfrombothurbanandruralareas.UrbanandNon-Urban(rural)diffusesourcepollutantshavebeenidentifiedasprioritymanagementareasbytheSEQHWS.

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3.1 WATERWAY HEALTH MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES IN COUNCILAnumberofdepartmentsinCounciladdresswaterwayhealthmanagement,directlyorindirectly,throughvariousmanagementandplanningactivities.Inmostcases,theseactivitiesaredoneinisolationofotherareasofCouncilorwithoutanoverallstrategicdirectionforenhancingwaterwayhealth.

Table2outlinesthecurrentandproposedplanningactivitiesundertakenbyeachdepartmentthathaveadirectorindirectconnectiontowaterwayhealthmanagement.

Table2.CurrentandProposedPlanningActivitiesforIpswichCityCouncil

Department Planning Activity

Health Parks and Recreation

WaterwayHealthStrategy•

NatureConservationStrategy•

LocalWaterwayManagementPlans*•

UrbanStormwaterQualityManagementPlan•

ErosionandSedimentControlActionPlan•

EnvironmentalProtectionPlan*•

ClimateChangeResponse*•

Engineering Services

UrbanStormwaterImplementationPlan*•

AssetManagementPlan•

InfrastructureChargingStrategy*•

Planning and DevelopmentIntegratedWaterManagementImplementation•Guideline*

IpswichPlanningScheme–codesandoverlays•

Ipswich Water

IpswichRecycledWaterStrategy•

AlternativeWaterSupplyStrategy•

OperationalPlans•

3.2 WATERWAY HEALTH MANAGEMENT APPROACHES IN RURAL AND URBAN AREAS

ThewayinwhichCouncilmanagesorinfluenceswaterwayhealthmanagementvariesconsiderablybetweentheruralandurbanareas,duetotheconstraintsofpublicandprivatelandownership,catchmentcharacteristicsandextentofurbandevelopment.

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3.2.1 Rural AreasInruralareas,Councilhaslimitedcontrolovertheimpactstowaterwayhealth.Opportunitiesexistthroughprivatelandholdersupportprograms,acquisitionandmanagementofconservationestates,partnerships with regional bodies and river improvementtrusts,andthroughregulatoryenforcementoflocalandstatelegislation.Furtheropportunitieswillbeachievedviafuturebiodiversityoff-setandcarbonsequestrationplantings,andCatchmentProtectionorIncentivePayments.

Thecurrenttrendtowardssmaller‘peri-urban’ developments raises a number of challenges for waterway health managementinpreviouslyruralareas,which will need to be addressed through planning instruments and partnership arrangementswithlandholders(referAppendix7).Thenaturalresourcemanagementchallengesandopportunitiesinperi-urbanareasisdiscussedinCouncil’sNatureConservationStrategy.

Current management approaches in rural areasinclude:

Enforcement of Local Laws and•devolvedregulatoryresponsibilities,suchas:controlandmanagementofdeclared plants and animals

Managementofconservation•estates and bushland reserves

LandholderPartnerships,including:•voluntaryconservationagreements

PartnershipswithStateGovernment,•RegionalNRMGroupsandIpswichRivers Improvement Trust

3.2.2 Urban AreasInurbanareas,Councilhasgreaterinfluenceandopportunitiestominimisetheimpactsof urban and industrial development throughplanninginstruments,managementofpublicinfrastructureandregulationofpointsourcedischarges.Thegreatestchallenge for waterway health management in the urban area is for Council to address and invest in the management of urban diffusesourcepollution,andtoinvestigatecost-effectivewaystoretrofitmanagementactionsinexistingurbanareas,particularlyforsmallerin-filldevelopments.Thereis a growing trend towards Integrated UrbanWaterCycleManagementwhichbringsinconceptssuchasWaterSensitiveUrbanDesign(WSUD)andLowImpactDevelopment(LID)todealwithstormwaterimpactsonwaterwayhealth(referAppendix9).

Current management approaches in urban areasinclude:

Administrationofplanningand•development through the IpswichPlanningScheme

Stormwaterandinfrastructureasset•management

Sewermanagement,treatmentand•discharge

Linear open space planning and•management along waterways

Riparianrestorationprojectson•public land

Regulationofpointsource•discharges

Supporttoprivatelandholders•

PartnershipswithStateandFederal•Government agencies

Educationandenforcementof•EnvironmentalProtectionAct1994stormwatercontaminationprovisions

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4. WHAT ARE THE INFLUENCES ON WATERWAYHEALTH MANAGEMENT

VariousinternalandexternalfactorsinfluencehowCouncilmanageswaterwayhealth,whatitsrolesandresponsibilitiesare,wheremanagementwilltakeplaceandhowmanagementactivitiesareprioritisedanddelivered.

TheWHSgivesCounciltheintegratedmanagementframeworkandtargetedactionplantorespondto:

1. EnvironmentalValuesandWaterQualityObjectivessetbytheQueenslandGovernment for Ipswich waterways

2. Regionalcatchmentmanagementmodelling

3. Streamordermappingandclassificationofallwaterways

4. Corporate-wideapproachtowaterwayhealthmanagementascorebusinessforCouncil,and

5. Compliancewithlegislationandregionalplanning

4.1 ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES AND WATER QUALITY OBJECTIVES EnvironmentValues(EV’s)andWaterQualityObjectives(WQO’s)aresetinstatelegislation,listedinSchedule1oftheEnvironmentalProtection(Water)Policy19975(EPPWater).Theyinformarangeofstatutoryandnon-statutoryactivitiesrelatedtowaterwayhealthmanagement,includingdevelopmentassessmentsandcomplianceofenvironmentallyrelevantactivities(ERA’s)ie:pointsourcedischarges.

Figure8.Statutoryandnon-statutoryinstruments(Source:SEQHWS)

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5EPP(Water)isbeingreviewedandredraftedbyEPA-expectedcompletionmid2009

TheEPP(Water)setsthemanagementintentfortheprotectionofwaterqualitybasedonaclassificationlevelgiventowaterways.AllwaterwaysinIpswichhavebeenclassified,inconsultationwithCouncil,asLevel2Waterways.Themanagementintentforthesewaterwaysis:

Wheretheexistingwaterquality• isbetter thanthescheduledWQO’s,maintain current water quality whileallowingsomeassimilativecapacity(insomeinstances)

Wheretheexistingwaterquality• isthe same asthescheduledWQO’s,maintaincurrentwaterquality,or

Wheretheexistingwaterquality• islower thanthescheduledWQO’s,improvewaterqualityovertime,haltingfurtherdecline.

ForCouncil,managementdecisionsneedto consider other impacts on waterway health,suchascatchmentcondition,landuses,existingandfutureflowpatterns,todetermine how it will meet the WQO’s as onlyonelandmanagerwithinacatchment.

It is recommended that the WQO’s listed in theEPP(Water)shouldbereferredtoasthelongtermaspirationaltargets.LocalWQO’sshouldbedevelopedtogivetheshort-termtargetsforIpswichwaterways,andbeusedasaguideforsettingminimumwaterqualitytargetsforexistingandproposedlanduses.

4.2 CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT MODELLING

Modellingscenariostopredictchangesinwaterqualitywithdifferentcatchmentmanagement approaches was undertaken bySEQHWPin2007(referAppendix4).The modelling indicated that with improved management(currentbestpracticeapproach),theBremerRiverestuarywouldstillnotmeetthescheduledWQO’s,andabusiness as usual approach would result infurtherdegradationofwaterqualityandecosystemhealth.

SEQHWPrecommendedthatimprovementin waterway health will only be achieved bychallengingexistingmanagementapproachesandcommittingsignificantmanagement investment in the implementationofasuiteofmeasuresto address various impacts on waterway health,involving:

Improvedwastewatertreatment,•effluentflowreductionsandreuse

ImplementationofWSUDinall•greenfielddevelopmentsandintegrationofretrofitthroughexistingurbanareas

Useofmanagementincentivesto•reduceruraldiffuserun-off

Anincreaseinenvironmentalflowin•theBremerRivercatchment,and

Implementationofin-stream•remediationprocesses,suchasre-aeration.

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WaterwaysinIpswichareclassifiedasLevel2Waterways–‘slightlytomoderatelydisturbedecosystems’.Thatis:

‘ecosystemsinwhichaquaticbiologicaldiversitymayhavebeenadverselyaffectedtoarelativelysmallbutmeasurabledegreebyhumanactivity’.6

6BremerRiverEV’sandWQO’s

Figure9.Changesinwaterwayhealthovertimewithdifferentmanagementapproaches(Source:SEQHWS)

4.3 CLASSIFICATION OF WATERWAYS USING THE STREAM ORDER SYSTEM

Streamorderisanumberingsystemusedtoclassifywaterwaysbasedontheirhierarchyfromheadwatertributaries(commencingwithstreamorder1)tolargerivers.Whentwostreamsofthesameorderjoin,thewaterwayiselevatedtothenexthighestorder(referAppendix5).

Onacollectivebasis,firstandsecondorderstreamshaveasignificantimpactonwaterwayhealth via transport of sediment and nutrient loads from the catchment to higher order streamsandrivers.Manyofthesehavebeenlost,poorlymanaged,clearedofnativevegetationoralteredthroughlandusechanges.Effectivemanagementcanbeachievedthroughplanningmechanismstoprotectfirstandsecondorderstreamswherepossible,designofstormwatermanagementsystemstoenhanceorreplicatetheirfunctionsandon-groundrehabilitationtorestorenativevegetationandbankstabilityinruralareas.

Table3.TotallengthandpercentageofstreamordersinIpswich

Stream Order Total Length (km) Percentage of Total Stream Length in Ipswich (%)

1 1,243 48

2 649.5 25

3 291.5 11

4 136.96 5.5

5 89.17 3.5

6 50.5 2

7 54.55 2

8 67.4 3

TOTAL 2,582.54 100

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4.4 WATERWAY HEALTH MANAGEMENT RECOGNISED AS CORE BUSINESS

There is a current trend towards the emergence of natural resource management,includingwaterwayhealth,ascorebusinessforCouncil,requiringthe commitment to good management to be viewed as an investment in the future liveabilityoftheCity.Furthermore,thereisaneedforaholisticapproachacrossallCouncil departments to undertake Total WaterCycleManagement.Withthiscomestheneedtounderstandtheefficienciesofscale with resource sharing and capacity building; integrated management will result inachievingmultipleoutcomesacrossmultipledepartmentsandprograms.

TheWHSisakeycorporatedocument,informingdecision-makingatahighlevel.ItsitsbelowtheCorporatePlan,guidingoperationoutcomestoachievelocalandregional targets for waterway health improvement,andconsistencyofoutcomesacrossallareasofCouncil(referAppendix11).

4.5 LEGISLATION AND REGIONAL PLANNING

Thedynamicnatureandcontinuingchanges in waterway health management arrangements has put pressure on local governmentstoexpandtheirresponsibilitiesin waterway health management through theirplanningandoperationalworks.Clearlydefinedinstitutionalarrangementsand strong partnerships between all stakeholders is needed to assist in the developmentofmutuallyagreedtargets,prioritiesandallocationoffundingatbothalocalandregionalscale.Thiswillrequireacommitmentandgreatercooperationfromallpartiesandaclearunderstandingofrolesandresponsibilitiestoavoidconfusionandduplicationofeffort.

Councilhasanobligationtomeetanumberof statutory requirements and regional targetsfortheprotectionandmanagementofwaterquality,aquaticecosystemsandriparianvegetation(referappendix3).ItalsohastofulfilStateGovernmentdevolvedresponsibilitiesthroughregulatoryenforcementonpublicandprivateland.Theseresponsibilitieshavebeentakenintoconsiderationwiththedevelopmentofwaterwayhealthmanagementactions(referFigure7).

TheSEQRegionalPlan2009-2031(currentlyindraft)isthepre-eminentplanthatsetsthedirectionforplanningandlandusedesignationinsouth-eastQueenslandoverthenext20years.TheSEQRegionalPlanisa statutory document with Desired Regional Outcomes(DRO’s),linkedtotheSEQNRMPlan(draft)andSEQHWStargets.TheWHSaccords with the following policies in the SEQRegionalPlan:

Principle 2.1 Biodiversity

Protect,manageandenhancetheregion’ssignificantbiodiversityvaluesandsupportingecologicalprocesses.

Principle 4.1 Natural Resource Management

Coordinate the management and use of naturalresourcestoenhancecommunity,economicandenvironmentalvalues.

Principle 11.1 Total Water Cycle Management

Water is acknowledged as a valuable andfiniteregionalresourcethatmustbemanagedonatotalwatercyclebasis.

Principle 11.2 Waterway Health

Protectandenhancetheecologicalhealth,environmental values and water quality ofsurfaceandgroundwater,includingwaterways,wetlands,estuariesandMoretonBay.

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5. MANAGEMENTCHALLENGESCouncilfacesanumberofenvironmental,land use and management challenges in thedevelopmentandimplementationofactionsandprioritiesforwaterwayhealthmanagementinIpswich.

5.1 ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGESErosive soils• –Highlymobiledispersivesoilsinmostsub-catchments,includingnewdevelopment areas in theBundambaandDeebingCreekcatchments,leadstowidespreaderosion,threatstopropertyandinfrastructure,sedimentationandincreasedturbidityinwaterways.

Unstable banks• -Configurationandmorphology of receiving waterwayswith deeply incised banks increasesthe risk of bank erosion with highvolumeand/orhighvelocityflows.

Degraded riparian vegetation• -Continuallossanddegradationofnativeriparianvegetationreducesriparianandin-streamhabitats,significantlyimpactsonwaterquality and increases vulnerability ofriverecosystemtocollapse.

Climate change uncertainty• -Projected climate change variabilityandchangedrainfallpatternswillpolarisebaseandpeakflowsandexacerbatedegradationpatterns(referAppendix6).

5.2 LAND USE CHALLENGESImpervious surfaces • -Greaterareasof impervious surfaces increasestheriskofdownstreamfloodingandimpactsfrom‘firstflush’inputsofpollutants(nutrients,litter,pesticides,heavymetalsandsediments).

Recycled water• -Theincreaseduseof recycled water and associatedchangesinwastewatertreatment,dischargequalityandquantities.

Population growth• -Ipswich’spopulationisexpectedtoincreasefrom150000to318000bytheyear 20267.Populationgrowthandexpandinginfrastructureplacesadded pressure on already impactedcatchments and waterwaysespeciallywithinfilldevelopmentanddensificationofexistingurbanareas.

Peri-urban development• -Changinglandusepracticesanddemographicsin rural areas with an increasingtrendtowards‘peri-urban’developments(referAppendix7).

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7IpswichCityCouncilCorporatePlan2007-2012p.13

5.3 MANAGEMENT CHALLENGESEnforcement-Capacityto•strengthen enforcement of erosionandsedimentcontrolandpollutiondischarges,usingacombinationofregulatoryandeducationalmechanisms.

Staffcapacity-Increasinginternal•knowledge and skills to addresswaterway health issues andmanagementrequirements.

Resources-Commitmentof•resources and investment to thedeliveryofmanagementactions.

RolesandResponsibilities-•Developingacleardefinitionand agreement on the roles andresponsibilitiesofallstakeholders.

Partnerships-Developingand•supportingstrongpartnershipswithprivatelandholders,non-governmentorganisation,regionalNRMbodiesandalllevelsofgovernment to align waterwayhealthmanagement.

Monitoring-Capacityto•monitor and evaluate success ofmanagementactions.

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SECTION 2 - VISION AND TARGETS

‘The best thing about the future is that it onlycomesonedayatatime.’

Abraham Lincoln

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6. VISIONBy 2020, the Bremer River, Brisbane River and other major waterways that flow through Ipswich have improved water quality and increased biodiversity value and are appreciated by the community for their amenity values and through appropriate recreational use8.

6.1 SETTING THE VISIONTheVisionforwaterwayhealthinIpswichhasbeentakenfromIpswich2020andBeyondasitcapturesthedesiredfutureoutcomesofCouncilandtheIpswichcommunity.ItalsosetstheplatformfortheprotectionandmanagementofIpswich’swaterwaystobalancetherapidchangesinlandusewithinthecatchmentsandthepotentialimpactsonwaterwayhealth.Itprovides the link between where we are now and where we want to be.

TheVisionalsobuildsuponthevisionsanddesiredregionaloutcomesintheSEQRegionalPlan,SEQHealthyWaterwaysStrategyandtheSEQNaturalResourceManagementPlan,settingthetoneforCouncil’sresponsetoregionaloutcomesdeliveredonalocalbasis.

Figure11.LinkingRegionalandLocalVisions

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8I2020andBeyond

6.2 HOW THE VISION WILL BE ACHIEVEDTheconditionofwaterwayhealthinIpswichis a result of past catchment management practicesandthedirectinputofindustrialdischarges,combinedwithcurrentlandusesandthepressuresofincreasingpopulation.Becauseofthis,achievingthevisionwillbeadifficulttaskthatwillrequiremajorcommitment and investment from all stakeholders.

Insomecases,asignificantchangeorcompletestopofexistingmanagementpracticeswillberequired.Inothercases,asmall change in management approach with targeted investment will result in a large beneficialchange.Thekeyistoadoptandimplement the Integrated Management Framework which will move us towards the visioninachievablesteps.

Achievingthevisionwillrequire:

Corporate-wideadoptionof•waterway health targets in Council’s coreanddiscretionaryprojects

Anagreedpriority-settingprocess,•atalllevelsoftheorganisation

Up-skillingandtrainingofcouncil•staffin‘bestpractice’TotalWaterCycleManagement

Improvedandinnovativedecision-•making,and

Agreaterfocusonefficientresource•utilisation

WehavefewwaterwaysingoodconditionacrossIpswichandurgentactionisrequiredtomaintaintheirpresentcondition,starttheprocessofrehabilitationinwaterwaysofmoderatecondition,andpreventfurtherdeclineinallotherwaterways.Toachievethevision,Councilneedstohaveaclearunderstanding of what level of ‘healthiness’ isrealisticforwaterwaysinIpswich,identifyallpotentialimpactsofcurrentandproposedlanduses,andbeabletoprioritisemanagementactionsforimplementation.

6.3 SETTING ACHIEVABLE TARGETSOnaregionalandstate-widebasis,waterquality and waterway health targets have been set through the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 1997 and a suite of SEQregionalnaturalresourcemanagementplans.Theseshouldbeconsideredasthelong-termaspirationaltargets.Short-term targets or performance indicators are required to assess incremental improvements in Ipswich waterway health inresponsetomanagementactions.

The desired outcome for waterway health managementistosetrealistictargetsforimprovement in water quality, riparian corridor condition and community appreciation(referFigure9).CouncilwillalsoneedtoundertakefurtherinvestigationtodetermineiftheBremerRiverestuaryhas the capacity to reach a target of ‘D+’ by2031,oratargetof‘C’inthefreshwatertributaries(basedontheregionalEHMPreportcardrating).

Figure12.SettingachievabletargetsforIpswichwaterways9

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9CurrentvaluesderivedfromstudieslistedinAppendix1

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SECTION 3 - INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

‘Wealwaysoverestimatethechangethatwilloccurinthenexttwoyearsandunderestimatethechangethatwilloccurinthenextten.Don’tletyourselfbelulledintoinaction.’

Bill Gates

7. INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKThe Integrated Management Framework provides Council with the one overarching management responsetoprotect,manageandenhancewaterwayhealthinIpswich,inlinewithnational,stateandregionalrequirements.

TheIntegratedManagementFrameworkidentifies:

1. Council’srolesand responsibilitiesinwaterway healthmanagement,

2. Definesthethreepriority ManagementThemes,and

3. Setstheperformancemeasures.

7.1 COUNCIL’S ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIESCouncil’srolesandresponsibilitiesinwaterway health management are guided bythecurrentinstitutionalarrangementsbetween federal and state government andregionalNRMbodies,balancedwith the needs and desires of the local community(referAppendix8).Sometimesthedelineationbetweentherolesofeachstakeholderisnotclearlydefinedanditisdifficulttodeterminewhoisresponsibleforwhat.

TheWHSsetstodefineCouncil’srolesinwaterway health management that meets bothlegislativerequirementsandthefuturedesired outcomes set in the Corporate Plan andIpswich2020andBeyond.

It is recognised that Council is only one playerwithinthebroadercontextofintegratedcatchmentmanagement.However,itiswellpositionedtoimplementandadvocaterealchangeatalocallevel.Councilfulfilsitsroles in waterway health management through the delivery of core activities,suchas:

Education–buildingcapacity,•partnershipsandadvocatingchange.

Enforcement–administratingand•regulatingimpactsandriskstowaterwayhealth.

ManagementandPlanning–•providing leadership and guidance intheuseofresources,landusepracticesandcatchmentmanagement on public and private land.

On-GroundDelivery–protecting•and maintaining constructed and naturalassets.

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Council’sPRIMARYROLEinwaterwayhealthmanagementistofulfillegislativerequirementsandmeetcommunityexpectationsthroughpolicy,planningandmanagementactionstomakethelocalandregionalvisionsofrestoringwaterwayhealthinIpswichareality.

Council’sresponsibilitiesinwaterwayhealthmanagementareto:

Develop and work towards achieving •the vision for Waterway Health in Ipswich.

Integrate waterway ecosystem •values into Total Water Cycle Management.

Investintheprotection,•maintenance and security of the city’s natural waterway resources inacost-effectivemanner,toensurelong-termsustainabilityandproductivityforsocial,cultural,economic and environmental outcomes,thatfitswithinthe delivery of other Council responsibilities.

Provideopportunitiesforthe•enjoyment and equitable use of the City’swaterway.

Foster strong partnerships with •thecommunity,non-governmentorganisations,governmentagencies,industryandregionalNRMbodiestodelivermanagementactionstowardsacommonoutcome.

Recognise Ipswich’s waterways •withintheregionalcontextoftheBrisbaneRivercatchmentandMoretonBayMarineParkthroughcoordinatedplanning.

Develop a widely accepted •understanding,appreciation,awareness and knowledge of waterwayhealth.

7.2 MANAGEMENT THEMESThe overall improvement of waterway health in Ipswich will be a long and expensiveprocess,wheremanagementactionsundertakentodaymaytake50to100yearstomakeadifference.Overallimprovement will also require a concerted effortandinvestmentfromallstakeholders,including:alllevelsofgovernment,businessandindustry,privatelandholdersandthegeneralcommunity.

Part of developing an integrated management framework is to consider whatmanagementprioritiesareachievable,thatis:realisticandnotcostprohibitive,andwhatfitswithinCouncil’scorporatedirection,rolesandresponsibilities.Themanagementprioritiesalsoreflectwhatkey aspects of waterway health will give the best outcomes towards achieving both the shortandlongtermtargets,basedon:

Bestavailablescienceand•knowledge on waterway health management.

Opportunitytodevelopcost-•effectivesolutionsthatfitwithinCouncil’s current and future planningandoperationalactivities.

The need to halt further decline and •begin to improve waterway health in Ipswich.

ThreeManagementThemeshavebeenselectedtogiveasimplifiedyetfocussedapproach towards improving waterway healthinIpswich.Thesethemesdonotincorporate all aspects of waterway health management,butareconsideredasthebestoptionsforCounciltogiveavisibleandmeasurableresult.

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The three Management Themesare:

THEME 1 - WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT –fundamentaltothesustainabilityofaquatichabitatsandecosystemprocessesinfreshwaterstreamsandestuaries.Improvethesocial,environmentalandeconomicvalues of waterways that are necessary for humanwell-being.

THEME 2 - RIPARIAN CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT–providehealthy,continuouscorridorsofnativevegetationthatsupportsnativefloraandfauna,providesrecreationalopportunitiesandvisualamenityforthecommunity,andfilterssediments,nutrientsandtoxicantsfromoverlandflow.

THEME 3 - COMMUNITY APPRECIATION –empowerandmotivateallsectorsofthecommunitytoimprovetheirskills,resourcesand networks for involvement in waterway healthmanagement.

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7.3 PERFORMANCE MEASURES BY 2011

1. Theobjectivesofthisstrategy are agreed to and acknowledged inCouncil’scoreactivitiesto achieve an overall improvement inwaterwayhealth.

2. Highprioritymanagement actionshavebeeninitiated within12-18monthsofadopting thisstrategy.

3. LocalWaterwayManagement Planshavebeendeveloped, adopted and implemented for at least half of Ipswich sub-catchments.

4. IpswichCityCouncilmaintains strongpartnershipswithState Government,regionalNRM bodies,industryandlandholders to achieve the local water quality objectivesforIpswichwaterways.

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SECTION 4 - MANAGEMENT THEMES

‘Naturedoesnotproceedbyleapsandbounds.’

Linnaeus

8. THEME 1 – WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT8.1 WHY IS WATER QUALITY IMPORTANTWaterisourmostvaluablenaturalresource.Healthywaterwaysrequiregoodwaterquality,whichinturnprovidesessentialecosystemservicesofbenefittohumanwell-beingandcontributestothelifestylesandlivelihoodsoftheIpswichcommunity.

ThecontinualdeclineofwaterqualityinIpswichwaterwaysisamajorconcernonbothalocalandregionalscale.PredictedincreasesinannualpollutantloadsintotheBremerRiverby2026withpopulationgrowthanda‘businessasusual’approachare10:

RuralDiffuse–8%insedimentloads,5%nitrogen,5%phosphorus•

UrbanDiffuse–138%insedimentloads,155%nitrogen,164%phosphorus•

PointSource–100%nitrogen,140%phosphorus•

Figure13.ExpectedchangesinpollutantloadstotheBremerRiverwaterwaysfrom2004–2026(graphtakenfromSEQHWSBremerActionPlanp.27)

Waterqualityisalsoaffectedbyhighdemandsforlimitedwatersupplies,furtherreductioninenvironmentalflowsandthepotentialimpactsofclimatechangeonflowpatterns.Poorwaterqualityposesthreatsto:

Humanhealthandwell-being•

Waterwayhealthandfunctions•

Reliability and quality of water supply•

Recreationandliveabilityvalues•

Agricultural use and livestock health•

Economicdevelopment,and•

Preservationofwaterresourcesforfuturegenerations.•

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10SEQHWSBAPp.26

8.2 KEY THREATS TO WATER QUALITY IN IPSWICHNutrients–arethemajorthreattowaterqualityinIpswichwaterways,inparticulartheBremerandLowerBrisbaneRiverestuaries.WhilstBundambaandGoodnaWastewaterTreatmentPlants(WWTP)havebeen upgraded to improve total nitrogen andtotalphosphoruslevels,dischargesare now diverted into the Western Corridor Recycled Water scheme with the concentrated brine waste being discharged totheLowerBrisbaneRiveratGoodna.Industrialpointsourcedischargescontinuetoaddnitrogen,phosphorusandorganiccarbonintotheBremerandLowerBrisbaneRiverestuaries.

Investigationofdiffusesources,particularlystormwaterrun-offfromurbanandindustrialareas,sewernetworkoverflows,on-sitetreatmentsystemsandrun-offfromirrigationisalsonecessarytogainabetterunderstandingofthenutrientcontributionfrom freshwater tributaries and overall loadsintotheestuaries.

Sediments–Significantlyhighinputsof sediments are derived from urban development,ruralpracticesandunstablecreekbanks.Controlofsedimentfromurban development sites needs to be a criticalareaoffocusforCouncil.Diffusesourcesedimentloadsisidentifiedasa priority management investment and commitmentneedintheSEQHWS.

Carbon–Organiccarbonoccursnaturallyinallriversystems,primarilyderivedfromcatchmentandriparianvegetationinputs.Organiccarbondrivesprimaryproductionofalgaeandbacteria.TheBremerRiverdiffersfromotherSEQwaterwayswithsignificantlyhigh levels of organic carbon in the water column.Thisexcessorganiccarbonhasleadto very high levels of bacterial growth and subsequentdepletionofdissolvedoxygen,impactingonaquaticbiota(Pollardetal,2001).Lowlevelsofdissolvedoxygenresultin poor waterway health and is one reason whytheBremerRiverreceivesand‘F’ontheregionalEHMPreportcardratingeachyear(SEQHWS2007-2012).

Salinity–Salinityoccurswhenmineralsalts within the soil are carried to the surfacewithrisinggroundwater,primarilythroughtheremovalofdeep-rootednativevegetation.Salinityimpactsonlandandwaterbiodiversity,productivityofagriculturallandandcansignificantlyreducethe lifespan of infrastructure such as roads andbridges.AreasofconcernforsalinityinIpswichexistinthePurgaandBlacksnakeCreekcatchments.

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8.3 BROAD IMPACTS ON WATER QUALITY IN IPSWICHImpactsonwaterqualitycanbecategorisedintothreebroadareas:

PointSourcePollution•

UrbanandNon-urbanDiffuseSourcePollution•

PeakFlows/UrbanStormwaterrun-off•

Table4.BroadImpactsandMajorThreatsonWaterQuality

Broad Impact Major Threat(s)

Point source Wastewater treatment •plants

Industrial wastewater •

Nutrients–nitrogen(N)andphosphorus(P)Organic Carbon

UrbandiffuseUrbandevelopmentsites•

Commercial and industrial •sites

Stormwater•

Roads•

Nutrients(N,P),sediment,heavymetals,litter,pesticides,toxicants,organiccarbon,hydrocarbons

Non-urbandiffuseRural landscapes•

Septicsystems•

Rising water tables•

Sediment,nutrients(N,P),herbicide,pesticides

Peakflows/UrbanStormwaterrun-off

Rainfallevents(‘first-flush’)•

Impactonchannelmorphologyandaquatichabitat,highconcentrationofcontaminantsinashortperiod

The control of point source pollutants can be tackled through a range of regulatory mechanismsandinnovativereuseoptions.Bycontrast,thecontrolofdiffusesourcepollutantsinvolvesanunderstandingoftheimpactsfromalllanduseswithinacatchment.Whilsttheimpactsfromonelanduseinacatchmentmaybesmall,thecumulativeimpactsofallthelandusesmaybequitesignificant.Managementofbothpointanddiffusesourcepollutantsrequiresanintegrativepartnershipapproachacrossthecatchment,withallstakeholders.

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8.3.1 Point Source PollutionPointsourcepollutionisthedirectinputatasinglepointofdischargeofeffluentfromwastewatertreatmentplants,alicensedindustryorbusiness.Currently,therearenine major industries licensed to discharge intotheBremerandLowerBrisbaneRiversinIpswich,including:

Rosewood WWTP•

BundambaWWTP•

Goodna WWTP•

RAAFBaseWWTP•

ChurchillAbattoir•

AustraliaMeatHoldingsDinmore•Abattoir

Australian Hardboards•

SwanbankPowerStation•

ReadymixHoldings•

RegionalplanningestimatesthatIpswichwillprovideupto43%oftheavailableindustrialzonedlandinsouth-eastQueensland.Combinedwithpredictedincreasesinpopulationtotriplecurrentnumbersby203111,effectivemanagementofpointsourcepollutiontoreducetheimpacts on water quality is high priority in Ipswich.

Todate,Councilhascommittedsignificantinvestment in reducing the impacts of point sourcedischargesfromWWTP’s,whichhas gone some way towards lowering total nitrogen and total phosphorus loads in waterways(nowpartoftheWCRWS).

8.3.2 Urban Diffuse PollutionUrbandiffusepollutionisthewide-spreadinputofpollutantsfromresidential,industrial and commercial land within the urbanfootprint.Morethan70%ofurbanpollutants(notincludingtracemetals)originatefromdiffusesources12.Urbandiffusepollutantsareprimarilydischargedtowaterwaysthroughstormwatersystems.

The major threat to water quality is increasedlevelsofsediment,nutrients,organiccarbon,heavymetals,litterandotherwastesfromawiderangeofsources.

Thenumberofpotentialcontributorsisverylarge,makingurbandiffusepollutiondifficulttotraceandmanage,decidewheretotargetsolutionsanddeterminewhatstrategiesaremostappropriate(SEQHWS2007-2012).

Traditionalurbandevelopmentpracticesdo not discourage direct discharge of stormwater into streams and provides minimal opportunity for treatment and reuse.TheimplementationofWaterSensitiveUrbanDesignandLowImpactDevelopment in new urban areas is being used to minimise the impacts of developmentonwaterwayhealth(referAppendix9).Additionalstepsarerequiredto strengthen enforcement of erosion and sediment control on all development sites (largescaleandindividuallotsorprojects),andtoaddressthedifficultiesofretrofittingstormwater quality improvement systems in existingurbanareas.Council’sErosionandSedimentControlActionPlansetsoutalistofnecessaryactions.

8.3.3 Non-urban Diffuse PollutionSedimentloadsderivedfromgullyandchannelerosionasaresultofgrazing,clearingandlossofriparianvegetationisthemostsignificantcauseofnon-urbandiffusesourcepollutiononwaterqualityinSEQ.Highsedimentloadsimpactonwaterquality,aquaticfloraandfauna,andchannelmorphology.

TheBremer,LockyerandLogan-AlbertRivercatchmentscontributeapproximately75%(250000tonnesperannum)ofthetotalsedimentloadintoMoretonBay.The majority of this sediment is derived from stream bank erosion caused by bank instability and uncontrolled stock access towaterways.Unsealedruralroadsarealso recognised as a major contributor of sediment.

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11ICC(2008)PlanningandDevelopmentUpdate.Edition1October200812CRCforCatchmentHydrology.1999.UrbanHydrologyProgram

8.3.4 Peak Flows / Urban Stormwater run-offTheimpactofthechangeinflowregimesinwaterways,inbothlarge(increasedpeaks)andsmall(frequentflow)rainevents,fromurbanandperi-urbanstormwatermanagementsystemsisasignificantfactorinthedegradationofecosystemhealthinurbanwaterways.Increasesinthe magnitude of stormwater discharges andthefrequencyofrun-offevents,duetointroductionofimpermeableareasanddirectwaterwaydischarge,canstronglyinfluencewaterquality,anddiversityoffaunaandaquatichabitatsinawaterway.EffectssimilartothatdescribedinSection8.3.3arecommoninsusceptibleareasinIpswich.

Effectivemanagementofstormwaterdischargecharacteristicsinurbanareasinvolves challenging historical urban stormwaterdesign(eg:movingallstormwater away as quickly as possible and directlydischargingintourbanwaterways).Undernewregulations,alternativesystemsneedtobeinvestigatedandimplementedfornewdevelopmentswithconsiderationofretrofittingexistingareastochangefromtraditionalpracticestoonewherestormwaterisretained,captured,controlledandreusedatsource.

8.4 HOW WATER QUALITY WILL BE MANAGED IN IPSWICHWater quality improvement is the most complexissueinthemanagementofwaterwayhealth.Thisisprimarilyduetothenatureofpointanddiffusepollutantsources,theirimplicationsonwaterwayhealthandthetimelagbetweenmanagementactionsandoutcomes.

Traditionally,waterqualitymanagementhasprimarilyfocusedonend-of-pipesolutionsforpointsourcedischarges.Overthepastfewyears,Councilhasmadeasignificantinvestment in upgrading its WWTP’s to reducenitrogenandphosphorusloads.Thisinvestmenthasachievedthefirstmajorincreaseinwaterqualityimprovement,andany future improvement will require a high levelofinvestmentincomparisontoeffort.

The greatest improvement in water quality will now be achieved by reducing the impactsofurbanandnon-urbandiffusepollutionattheirsource:“source-of-impactsolutions”.Thisis,higherwaterqualityoutcomeswillbeachievedbyre-focussinginvestment to address sediment and nutrientloadsattheirsource,primarilywithintheurbanfootprint.

Someinitiativeswillneedtochallengetheway in which Council currently undertakes urbanstormwatermanagement,suchas:

Addressing urban stormwater •as part of Total Water Cycle Management.

Providing investment to increase the •capacityofCouncilstaff,contractors,and planning and development consultants to undertake the appropriate level of planning and design,thenimplement,manageand reduce the impacts that lead toerosionandsedimentationfrom development sites on urban waterways.

Adoptingurbanstormwater•management and design based on catchmentcharacteristicsandwaterqualityoutcomes.

Complementingurbandesignwith•‘desired’urbanwaterwayvalues,suchas:riparianvegetation,flowpatternsandpublicuse.

Reviewing maintenance •requirements for constructed stormwater management configurationsandwaterwaystoconsideramenity,safety,human-healthandwaterqualityvalues.

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ForthewaterwaysofIpswich,waterqualitymanagement needs to incorporate the following aspects to fully understand what improvementsarelikely,andforwhatlevelofinvestment:

Determine the most appropriate •cost-effectivesuiteofmanagementactionsonasub-catchmentbasisthrough the development and implementationofLocalWaterwayManagementPlans.

Developrealisticandlocallyrelevant•waterqualityobjectives(WQO)forIpswichwaterwaysasshort-termtargets,recognisingtheStateGovernment’sWQOaslong-termaspirationaltargets.

Prioritisemanagementactionsinthe•freshwater tributaries to minimise thecumulativeimpactsofsedimentand nutrient inputs on water quality intheBrisbaneandBremerRiverestuaries.

8.5 KEY OBJECTIVES FOR WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTWQ1. Developandadoptlocalwater qualityobjectivesforIpswich waterways.

WQ2. Developandprioritisemanagement strategiesandactionstoaddress theimpactsofdiffusesource pollutiononurbanwaterways.

WQ3. StrengthenCouncil’scapacityto ensure compliance of current and futurelanduses,andtomanage treatmentassets,toachievethe Council derived water quality objectivesaswellasthestatewater qualityobjectives.

WQ4. Buildpartnershipswithstate government,regionalNRM bodies,non-government organisationsandthecommunity to address water quality issues in Ipswich through a coordinated andconsistentapproach.

WQ5. Supportlandholdersthrougha rangeofmechanismstoadoptbest- practicemanagementonprivate land to reduce the impacts of rural diffusepollutiononwaterquality.

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9. THEME 2 – RIPARIANCORRIDORMANAGEMENT

9.1 WHY RIPARIAN CORRIDORS ARE IMPORTANT

Riparian corridors are the area of land adjoiningawaterway.Foraripariancorridortobehealthy,itmustcontainstructuralandspeciesdiversityofnativevegetation,existincontinuousstandsalongthewaterway,andbeofaminimumwidthtoperformspecificfunctions.Ripariancorridorsprovideabufferbetweenterrestrialandaquaticecosystemsmaintaining the health and viability of the waterway,by:

Holding bank soil in place and•reducing the risk of bed and bankerosion

Filtering sediments and nutrients•fromsurfacerun-offandgroundwater

Regulatingwatertemperature•

Providingshade,shelterandorganic•matterforaquaticorganisms,and

‘Shadingout’exoticweedspecies•

Healthy riparian corridors with a diversity of nativevegetationabsorbsrainfalltherebyreducing the volume and frequency of run-off,aswellascapturesaround90%13 of sedimentsandattachednutrientsbeforeenteringwaterways.Riparianvegetationalso contributes to the removal of nutrients and salts from groundwater14.

Riparian corridors are an important socio-economicasset,providinganintegrallinkbetweensuburbs,supportingpeoplemovement,offeringrecreationalopportunitiesandimprovingthevisualamenityofthesurroundingarea.

9.2 WHAT ARE THE BROAD IMPACTS ON RIPARIAN CORRIDOR CONDITION IN IPSWICH

RipariancorridorconditioninIpswichhasbeenheavilydegraded,andinmostinstances no longer supports terrestrial andaquaticecosystemprocessesorprovidesfunctionsforfilteringsedimentandnutrientsfromsurfacerun-off.Nativeriparianvegetationhasbeenremovedthroughintenseurban,peri-urbanandrurallandusepracticesandreplacedbyexoticgrassesandwoodyweedspecies.

The two major impacts on riparian corridor conditioninIpswichare:

1. reducedripariancorridorwidthand

2. invasionofexoticweeds

9.2.1 Reduction in Riparian Corridor Width

Researchinsouth-easternQueensland15 hasshownthattheconditionandhealthof riparian corridors has a greater impact onthehealthandconditionofaquaticecosystemsthanlandusepracticesalone.A major source of sediment and nutrients reachingMoretonBayisderivedfromchannel erosion linked to poor riparian conditionintheBremer,LockyerandLogan-Albert catchments16.

The majority of riparian corridors in Ipswich existasverythinstripsofvegetation,oftenlessthan10metreswidefromthewatersedgeonbothsidesofthewaterway.Insomereaches,bankerosionhasoccurredwiththelossofvegetation,withbankslumping recorded at irregular intervals alongmorethan75%ofstreamlengths17.

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13 LWA 2005c14 Fellows15StuartBunn16SEQHWS17StateoftheRivers

9.2.2 Invasion of Exotic Grasses and Woody Weed SpeciesRipariancorridorconditionisheavilyaffectedbythelossofnativeriparianvegetationandsubsequentdominanceofintroducedspeciesofwoodyweeds,grassesandvines.TheripariancorridoralongtheBremerRiverandtributariesishighlydisturbedwiththevastmajorityofthewaterwayshavinglittletonoremainingnativeriparianvegetation.Exoticgrassesandherbsdominatetheunderstorey.

Exoticweedspeciesinriparianareascanhaveamyriadofimpactsonsurroundinglandandwaterecosystemssuchas:

changingwatertemperatureandlightconditionsbyovershadingwaterways•

altering soil nutrient processes•

impactinguponnativeaquaticfoodwebs•

providingfoodandhabitatforexoticandpestspeciessuchasfoxesandhares•

impactingondiversityofnativevegetation•

inhibitingthere-colonisationandgrowthofnativespecies•

restrictingaccessandopportunitiesforrecreationalactivities•

ThenumberoneriparianwoodyweedinIpswichisChineseceltisCeltissinensis(alsoknownasChineseelm).InsomereachesChineseceltisdominatestheripariancorridorconstitutingmorethan90%oftheriparianvegetation18.

Table5.SomeofthemajorriparianweedsinIpswich19

Species Common name Form

Cinnamomum camphora Camphor Laurel Tree

Schinus terebinthifolius Broad-leavedPepperTree Tree

Lantana camara Lantana Shrub

Leucaena leucocephala Leucaena Smalltree

Macfadyena unguis-cati Cat’s Claw Creeper Vine

Anredera cordifolia MadeiraVine Vine

Ipomoea sp. MorningGlory Vine

Asparagus sp. Asparagus Fern Vine

Panicum maximum Green panic Grass

Chloris gayana Rhodes grass Grass

Sorghum halepense Johnson grass Grass

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18Perscomm.GeoffFaulkner19WeedScience

9.3 ADOPTING AN APPROPRIATE RIPARIAN CORRIDOR WIDTH FOR IPSWICHTheadoptionofaminimumripariancorridorwidth,andinclusionofthisinaplanningcodeundertheIpswichPlanningScheme,isessentialforachievingwaterwayhealthoutcomes.Currently,Councilhasnodistinctpolicyorguidelineinplaceforsettingripariancorridorwidths.

TheIpswichPlanningSchemerestrictsclearingofnativevegetationwithin30metresofadesignatedwaterway,triggeredthroughdevelopmentapplications.Thedesignatedwaterwaymapping only covers the major waterways in Ipswich and is limited in its ability to ensure protectionandrehabilitationofripariancorridorsforwaterwayhealthoutcomes.

TodetermineanappropriateripariancorridorwidthforIpswich,thefollowingcasestudieshavebeenused.

Case Study 1. Redland City Council (previously Redland Shire Council)

RedlandCityCouncil’swaterwaybufferwidthsarebasedonstreamorderclassificationofmajor,minorandslightwaterways,fortheprotectionandenhancementofenvironmentalvalues.WaterwaybufferwidthsareusedasaminimumstandardintheRedlandPlanningSchemeundertheWaterway,WetlandandMoretonBayOverlayCode.TheCodesetsminimumbufferwidthseachsideofthewaterwayat100metresformajorwaterways(streamorder4andabove)and60metresforminorwaterways(streamorder2and3).

Case Study 2. Maroochy Shire Council (now part of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council)

TheMaroochyShirePlanningSchemeusesaWaterwaysandWetlandsCodetoprotectandenhanceecologicalprocessesandenvironmentalvaluesofwaterways.TheCodestipulatesvegetatedriparianbufferwidthseachsideofthewaterwaybasedonstreamorder,being:50metresforstreamorder5andabove;25metresforstreamorder3and4;and10metresforstreamorder1and2.

Case Study 3. Regional Vegetation Management Code for Southeast Queensland Bioregion 2006

TheRegionalVegetationManagementCodeforSoutheastQueenslandBioregion2006(Code)undertheVegetationManagementAct1999restrictsclearanceofnativevegetationalongwaterways,basedonstreamorder.Minimumriparianvegetationwidthsoneachsideofthewaterwayhavebeensetat10metresforstreamorder1and2;25metresforstreamorder3and4;and50metresforstreamorder5andabove.ThedraftEPP(Water)2009recommendsthe inclusion of minimum riparian widths for water quality outcomes based on the guidelines setintheCode.

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9.4 RIPARIAN CORRIDOR WIDTHS TO BE ADOPTED FOR IPSWICH WATERWAYS Ripariancorridorwidthsaretheminimumvegetatedwidthnecessaryfortheprotectionandenhancementofwaterwayhealthandenvironmentalvalues,measuredfromthehighbankmarkoneithersideofawaterway(referFigure14).Givenconsiderationtoexistingconditionsandrequiredecologicaloutcomes,therecommendedminimumriparianwidthsforIpswichwaterways(referTable6)havebeendeterminedusingtheRegionalVegetationManagementCodeforSoutheastQueenslandBioregion2006andtheSEQHealthyWaterwaysPartnershipstreamordermapping(referAppendix5).Whereverpossible,themaximumpossiblewidthshouldbesoughtfortheprotectionofriparianvegetation,butnotlessthantherecommendedminimumwidthforthatstreamorder.

Thesewidthsarearecommendationfortheprotectionandreinstatementofnativeriparianvegetationtoprotecttheintegrityandecologicalfunctioningofallwaterways.Insomecases,therewillneedtobeprovisionstoaccommodateforexistinginfrastructureortoprovidepassiverecreationalaccess.However,theprimaryfocuswillalwaysbetheprotectionofwaterhealthobjectives.

RipariancorridorsaretobedefinedforallwaterwaysasidentifiedbytheSEQStreamOrderMapandprotectionprovidedthroughaWaterwayManagementCodeintheIpswichPlanningScheme.

Figure14.Vegetatedripariancorridorwidths.

high bank high bank

Riparian vegetation width

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Table6.Recommendedminimumripariancorridorwidths

Waterway Category Stream Order Minimum Riparian Corridor Width for Each Side of the

Waterway20

MajorWaterway 5 and above 50 metres

MinorWaterway 3and4 25 metres

SlightWaterway 1and2 10metres

Table7.Minimumripariancorridorwidths,basedonstreamorder,formajorwaterwaysinIpswich

Waterway Category SLIGHT MINOR MAJOR

Stream Order 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Riparian Width 10m 10m 25m 25m 50m 50m 50m 50m

Stre

am N

ame

BlacksnakeCreek

BremerRiver

BrisbaneRiver

BundambaCreek

Deebing Creek

Franklin Vale Creek

Goodna Creek

Ironpot Creek

MihiCreek

Opossum Creek

Plain Creek

Purga Creek

SandyCreek(Camira)

SandyCreek(PineMtn)

SandyCreek(Tivoli)

SixMileCreek

SpringCreek

Warrill Creek

Western

Woogaroo Creek

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20Insomeinstances,theremaybescopetoallowforawiderwidthononeside,givenanarrowwidthontheotherside,duetounavoidableconstraints.Thiswouldbetheexceptionratherthanthenorm.

Where there is a discrepancy between these widths and other Council requirements (suchasPlanningSchemezones)thegreaterwidthwillapplies.

Itisintendedthatthedesignationofminimum vegetated corridor widths is to existinadditiontoprovisionsforotheruses,such as linear open space and infrastructure requirements.Provisionforbothareascanbecomplementaryifconsiderationformultiplesocial,environmentalandeconomic outcomes is given in the early planningstages,andconfigurationoflotlayouts is carefully considered to avoid adverseoutcomes,toattain:

Protectionandreinstatementof•nativeriparianvegetation

Increase in the ecological •functioningandhabitatprovisionsfornativeterrestrialandaquaticfauna

Protectionofadjoininglandand•assetsfromerosionandfloodingimpacts

Increase in the scenic amenity of the •locallandscape,and

Provision of community access to •andalongwaterways.

9.5 HOW RIPARIAN CORRIDORS WILL BE MANAGED IN IPSWICHThe management framework for riparian corridors is based on the following prerequisites:

1. Apartnershipapproachbetween allusers,ownersandmanagers of riparian land

2. Mechanismsinplaceto guideadequateprotectionand management of riparian land

3. Prioritisationofareasreflecting the importance of riparian land

The minimum standards to be adopted for ripariancorridormanagement,are:

Control and removal of declared and •environmentalweeds.

Protectionofexistingriparian•vegetation.

Reinstatementofnativeriparian•vegetationtotherecommendedcorridorwidth.

Developmentandimplementation•ofacceptablesolutionsformultipleuseofripariancorridors.

Incorporationofriparian•rehabilitationrequirementsintothe early planning stages of urban development proposals and major infrastructureconstructionorupgrades.

9.5.1 A Partnership Approach to Riparian Corridor ManagementAny person or agency who owns or manages riparianlandisariparianlandmanager.ThisappliestoStateandlocalgovernment,andprivatelandholders.UndertheWaterAct2000,allwatercoursesincludingthebedandbanksisownedand/orcontrolledbytheQueenslandGovernment.However,differentaspectsandareasofadministrationandcontrolofriparianlandrestswithvariousstatedepartments,including:

Department of Fisheries•

Department of Environment and •ResourceManagement

MaritimeSafety•

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The management responsibility of waterwaysandripariancorridorsisoftendevolvedtotheriparianlandmanager,regardlessofstateownership.Councilhas responsibility for the management of publicopenspace,andtheconstructionand maintenance of major infrastructure alongwaterways.Apartnershipapproachis required across all Council departments whenundertakingtheseactivitiestoensureCouncilmeetsitslegislativerequirementsandachievesthegoalsandobjectivesforripariancorridormanagement.

Council also works in partnership with private landholders through a variety of formalandinformalagreements,suchasVoluntaryConservationAgreements.Thesepartnerships can be further enhanced through targeted support programs to riparianlandownersandaneducationalcampaign.Privatelandownerscanalsobeencouraged to rehabilitate riparian corridors through regional partnerships that are currentlybeingdevelopedtoinvestigateopportunitiesforriparianrevegetationforcarbonsequestrationandvegetationoff-sets.CatchmentprotectionpaymentschemeswillprovidefinancialincentivestoimprovenativevegetationalongIpswichwaterwaysandwithinprioritisedsub-catchments,identifiedinIpswichCityCouncil’sNatureConservationStrategy2008andLocalWaterwayManagementPlans.

9.5.2 Mechanisms for Riparian ManagementRiparian corridors are at risk where major infrastructure pressure is high and wherenewdevelopmentsareoccurring.When planning new developments and managingorupgradinginfrastructure,itisnecessarytoplanfortheprotectionand/orrehabilitationoftheriparianlandbeingimpactedupon.Arangeofpoliciesandlegislationmaycomeintoplay(referAppendix3).

Inadditiontorelevantlegislation,anumberofstrategiesexistthatencompassriparianland management including the National Water Quality Management Strategy,theSouth East Queensland Healthy Waterways Strategy,andtheBremer River Catchment Management Strategy.Locally,theRiparianCorridorRehabilitationGuidelineadoptedbyCouncilin2008,providesguidanceonthereinstatementofnativevegetationonpubliclandalongIpswichwaterways.

9.5.3 Prioritisation of Areas Prioritisationofareasforriparianmanagement may not be those with the mostobviousdamage,ortheeasiestsitestorehabilitate.Prioritieswillbebasedonmeetingthegoalsandobjectivesinthemostefficientwaypossible.

Key points to consider when determining priorityareasare:

Riskassessment-identifycurrent•threats that may impact on the riparian corridor or on the level of success of management

Greatestreturnforfinancialoutlay•–itisoftenmorecosteffectivetoprotect and manage reaches in good conditionthantouselimitedfundsonrehabilitatingdegradedsections

Earlyintervention–costbenefits•ofmitigatingagainstripariandegradationcomparedtothecostofrehabilitationlateron

Protectionofmajorassetsfirst•–focusresourcesonprotectingpublicandprivateassets,includingenhancementoflinearopenspace,and then look towards linking these areas and improving overall stream condition

Itismorecosteffectivetoprotectandmanageareasingoodcondition,rehabilitateareasinmoderatecondition,and monitor and address areas of poor conditionasopportunitiesarise.

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9.6 KEY OBJECTIVES FOR RIPARIAN CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT RC1. Developandimplementtechnicalguidelinesforripariancorridormanagement andnaturalchanneldesign,forinternalandexternalstakeholders.

RC2. ImprovetheconditionofripariancorridorsinIpswichtoincreasetheir ecosystemservicevalues.

RC3. Identifyandprioritiseripariancorridorsofhighecologicalsignificancefor protection,retentionandrehabilitation.

RC4. Implementplanningmechanismstoprotectripariancorridorsalongall waterwaysinIpswich,includingaWaterwayManagementCodeandadoption ofSEQstreamordermappingasthedesignatedwaterways.

RC5. Adopttherecommendedminimumripariancorridorwidthsfortheprotection, management and enhancement of vegetated corridors along Ipswich waterways.

RC6. Investigateopportunitiesforpartnershipsinriparianrehabilitationthrough vegetationoff-setsandcatchmentprotectionincentives.

RC7. Supportprivatelandholderstoundertakeripariancorridormanagement throughexistingpartnershipprogramsandimplementationofnewpartnership approaches.

RC8. Incorporateenvironmentalassessmentintothedevelopmentphaseof Council’smajorinfrastructureprojects.

56

10. THEME 3 - COMMUNITY APPRECIATION10.1 WHAT IS COMMUNITY APPRECIATIONInthedevelopmentandimplementationofanystrategy,therolesofallstakeholdersneedstobeclearlyarticulatedifcommunicationandimplementationofactionsaretobesuccessful.Thisisparticularlyimportantwhenoneofthestakeholder groups is the community21.Communityawarenessandlong-termengagementiscriticaltothesuccessoftheWHSandimprovementofwaterwayhealthinIpswich.Withoutthislevelof involvement in the planning and implementationphases,strategiesandactionswillfailtofullyrepresentcommunityvalues.

ToachievetheWHSobjectives,capacitybuilding is required across three key stakeholdergroups,being:

Landholders–Rural,UrbanandPeri-•Urban

BusinessandIndustry•

DevelopmentBodies•

Communitieshaveanimportantroletoplayincontributingtotheknowledgeandinformationbase,thehumanresourcebaseandthedirectionofresearchanddevelopmentrequiredtoeffectivelymanagewaterwaysnowandintothefuture.Underpinningthisistheneedforbroader,moregeneralinformationaboutwaterwaymanagement issues to raise community awareness.

WithintheWHS,threekeyoutcomesaresought:

1. Thecommunityhasan understanding and knowledge abouttheissuesthataffect waterwayhealthinIpswich.

2. Thecommunityparticipatesin prioritysetting,decisionmaking, taking ownership and undertakingactionsofvalue.

3. Thecommunity’scapacityto deliverWHSstrategicoutcomes isfurtherdeveloped.

Inadditiontotheappropriateinstitutionalarrangements required to implement the actionsdescribedintheWHS,itisnecessarytobuildontheskillsandexpertiseofcommunity members responsible for implementingactionsatthegroundlevel.

10.2 WHY COMMUNITY AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENT IS IMPORTANTUnderstandingthatwealllivewithinacatchmentandthatourday-to-dayactivitieshavethepotentialtoimpactonthe health of our waterways is an important componentofcommunityawareness.Toensurethelong-termsustainabilityofthecity’s resources and achieve the vision of ‘Clean and Healthy Waterways’22 it is essentialthatweinvolvethecommunityinawarenessraising,education,trainingandon-groundimplementation.Thisprocesswill assist community stakeholders in understandingtheecological,economicandsocialvaluesofIpswichwaterways.

57

21‘Community’-isacollectivetermusedtodefineanyperson,groupofpeopleororganisationconnectedoraffectedbyaspectsofwaterwayhealthmanagement.

22AsidentifiedinIpswich2020andBeyond,andCorporatePlan2007-2012

10.3 TARGETED AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT THE KEY STAKEHOLDER GROUPSThe importance of awareness for the three key community stakeholder groups varies according totheirspecificinterestsandoverallobjectives.

10.3.1 Landholders – Rural and Peri-Urban

DescriptionRuralandperi-urbanareascovermorethanhalfoftheCity•

Waterwayhealthisthreatenedbyagriculturalrun-off,uncontrolledstockaccess,gullyand•channelerosion,lossofnativevegetation,invasiveweedspeciesandwaterextraction

Majorityofruralwaterwaysrunthroughprivateland•

The headwaters of most waterways are in rural areas•

ObjectivesIncreasenativeriparianvegetationcovertoimproveconnectivity,filtersedimentand•nutrientsfromoverlandflowandreducebankerosion

Improvelandusepracticestoachievewaterwayhealthobjectives•

OpportunitiesVoluntaryPartnershipProgramstoprovidefinancialandtechnicalsupportandmaintainlong-•term commitments

Practical,easilyaccessibleinformationandtrainingopportunitiestosupportimplementation•ofon-groundmanagementinitiatives

58

10.3.2 Landholders – Urban

DescriptionMostoftheCity’spopulationliveswithintheurbanfootprint•

Waterwayhealthisthreatenedbydomesticimpactsofpoorurbanstormwaterquality,•clearingfornewdevelopments,gardenescapeesandunmanagedrecreationalaccess

Combinationofbothprivateandpublicownershipofriparianland–majorityofpubliclandis•designated as linear open space

ObjectivesImproveurbanstormwaterqualityandquantitymanagement•

Providepublicaccessandrecreationalopportunitiesalongurbanwaterwaysandincreasethe•social and environmental values of riparian corridors

Encourageurbanlandholderstoparticipateinwaterwayhealthmanagementinitiatives•

OpportunitiesIncrease awar• enessandeducationalmaterial,workshopsandeventstopromotewaterwayhealthmanagementissuesandopportunities

PromotetheuptakeofCouncilinitiatives,suchas:EnvironmentalWeedControlRebate,Free•Plant Program

Targetpartnershipswithriparianlandholderstoimproveriparianvegetationconditionon•private land

Engageresidentsinon-groundwaterwayrehabilitationactivitiesonpublicland•

ImplementactionsintheNatureConservationStrategyandParksStrategytoachieveboth•conservationandrecreationoutcomesalongurbanwaterways

Focus the Enhanced Access to Waterways program to achieve greater waterway health •

outcomesaswellasrecreationaloutcomes

10.3.3 Business and Industry

DescriptionImpactsonwaterwayhealthfrombothpointanddiffusesourcepollutantsthroughdirect•dischargeandrun-offfromimpervioussurfaces

MostpointsourcedischargesareregulatedasEnvironmentallyRelevantActivities(ERA’s)•undertheEnvironmentalProtectionAct1994

IndustrialareasinIpswichtoexpandoverthenext20years•

ObjectivesReducetheimpactsofpointanddiffusesourcepollutantsfrombusinessesandindustrial•areas

Improve the public image of businesses and industries working towards Ipswich as a liveable •City with ‘Clean and Healthy Waterways’

OpportunitiesBuildpartnerships,supporton-groundinitiativesandencourageownershipofwaterway•healthmanagementwithnewandexistingbusinessesandindustries

WorkinpartnershipwithStateGovernmenttoensureaconsistentandcoordinatedapproach•toregulationandcomplianceofpointsourcedischarges

Supportinnovativesolutionstoimprovewaterqualityfromindustrialareas•

59

10.3.4 Development Bodies

DescriptionRapidlyexpandingurbandevelopmentwithconstantlychangingapproachesandlegislation•forstormwatermanagement,urbandesignandlowimpactdevelopment

Largeareasofexposedsoilduringtheconstructionphaseofdevelopment,followedby•increased areas of impervious surfaces

Greenfield-v-infilldevelopments,smallscale-v-masterplannedcommunities•

ObjectivesReduce the impacts of soil disturbance and sediment movement from new development sites•

Contain,controlandmanageurbanstormwaterqualityandquantityasclosetothesourceas•possible

Minimisetheamountofsoilexposedatanyonetime•

OpportunitiesEncouragebestpracticeWSUDandLIDprinciplesinallnewdevelopments•

Providetrainingopportunitiesandbuildpartnershipswithdevelopers,contractorsand•builderstoimplementeffectiveandsiteappropriateerosionandsedimentcontrolmethods

Supportalternativelowimpactdevelopmentdesignsolutionstoimprovewaterwayhealthin•urban waterways

Encouragerehabilitationofripariancorridorstoprovidebothsocialandenvironmental•outcomes,andpromotepublicaccesstoandmovementalongwaterwaysbetweenneighbouring suburbs

10.4 MANAGEMENT PRIORITIESTheprotectionandrehabilitationofwaterwayhealthcannotberealisedwithoutaworkingpartnershipbetweenCouncilandthecommunity.Tofacilitatethis,thefollowingmanagementprioritiesexist:

Work with community stakeholders to improve awareness and understanding of the •significanceandfunctionsofwaterwayhealth.

Establishamanagementframeworktofacilitateeffectivecommunicationand•disseminationofinformationtothecommunity.

Prioritiseon-groundprojectswithcostandsocialbenefit.•

Promoteon-groundprojectstothecommunity,clearlyshowingshortandlongterm•benefits.

10.5 KEY OBJECTIVES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND AWARENESS CE1. Develop,produceanddistributetargetedcommunityeducationandawareness materialthatprovidesup-to-datewaterwayhealthinformation.

CE2. Enhanceaccesstowaterwaystofacilitatecommunityrecreationaluseand increaseawarenessandunderstandingofIpswichwaterways.

CE3. Developandimplementwaterwayhealthrelatedtrainingprograms, workshopsandguidelinesforcommunityandinternalstakeholders.

CE4. Providefinancialandtechnicalsupporttoprivatelandholderstoundertake riparianrehabilitationandwaterwayhealthimprovementprojects.

CE5. Formpartnershipswithcommunityandotherexternalstakeholdersto promoteCouncil’scommitmenttowaterwayhealthimprovement,encourage involvementinmanagementactivitiesandincreaseownershipofcatchment issues.

60

SECTION 5 - IMPLEMENTATION AND ACTION

‘The future depends on what we do inthepresent.’

Mahatma Gandhi

61

11. IMPLEMENTATION AND ACTIONTo achieve the vision of ‘Clean and Healthy Waterways’inIpswich,Councilneedstotakeaholisticandintegratedapproachandgiverecognitiontowaterwayhealthmanagementasacorporateresponsibility.Councilwillalsoneedtoworkwithexternalpartnersandstakeholders,andencouragecommunity responsibility in waterway healthimprovement.Investingintheprotectionandenhancementofwaterwayhealth today is an investment in the future liveabilityofIpswich.

TheWHSprovidesCouncilwiththestrategicdirectionandenablingactionstoaddresspriorityissuescontributingtothedegradationofwaterwayhealthinIpswichwaterways,basedoncurrentknowledgeandthebestavailablescientificdata.

To prevent further decline of waterway healthinIpswich,Councilwillneedto:

1. Prioritisemanagementactions infreshwatersub-catchments to improve their carrying capacity andreducetheimpactsofdiffuse and point source pollutants on theBremerandLowerBrisbane Riverestuaries.

2. Targetinvestmenttomanage sediment and nutrient inputs attheirsource,beforetheyenter waterways.

3. StrengthenCouncil’scapacityto implement planning and operationalactivitiesthat protect,enhanceandmaintain waterwayhealthinIpswich.

4. Protect,manageandenhance riparian corridors along all waterways.

5. Supportpartnershipswith privatelandholders,businesses and industries to reduce the impacts on waterway health from privateandcommercialland.

6. Continuetobuildpartnerships withthecommunityandexternal stakeholders for a consistent approach and delivery of waterwayhealthoutcomes.

11.1 TWO KEY IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONSCouncil’s greatest capacity to improve waterway health that can be undertaken immediatelyandthatfitswithinitsrolesandresponsibilitiesistouseplanningmechanisms,strategiesandpartnershipsto:

1. Reducethequantityofsediment, nutrients and other pollutants being transported by urban stormwater and their impacts on urbanwaterways,and

2. Protectandrehabilitateriparian corridors.

Thesetwoactivitieswillbefurtherenhanced through strong partnerships with stategovernment,regionalNRMbodies,industry,urbandevelopersandprivatelandholders.

62

11.2 LOCAL WATERWAY MANAGEMENT PLANSLocalWaterwayManagementPlans(LWMP)arerequiredforeachmajorsub-catchmentwithinIpswich.Urbansub-catchmentswillbetargetedfirst,including:

BundambaCreek•

Deebing Creek•

SixMileandGoodnaCreek•

WoogarooandSandyCreek•

IronpotandMihiCreek•

Thisisduetotheprojectedrapidpopulationgrowthandthecriticalneedtomanagetheimpacts of urban development on waterway health,asrecognisedinregionalplansandstatelegislation.ItisenvisagedtheLWMP’swillassistCounciltofulfillegislativeandregionalplanningrequirements,giving guidance to the development of implementationplanssuchasUrbanStormwaterQualityManagementPlanandStormwaterCatchmentPlans(referFigure15).

LWMP’swillprovidespecific,targetedmanagementactionsthatwillidentifypriority areas and investment needs for Council to improve waterway health on asub-catchmentbasis.Theyarethekeyvehicle for delivery of the Integrated Management Framework.

11.3 ALIGNMENT TO OTHER PLANSThedevelopmentofmanagementactionshas been undertaken to align with the goals andtargetsininternalandexternalplans,policiesandstrategies,andtosupporttheachievement of management commitments inthe:

SEQRegionalPlan2009-2031•

SEQHealthyWaterwaysStrategy•2007-2012

SEQNRMPlan2009-2031•

BremerRiverCatchment•ManagementStrategyStage2

Ipswich2020andBeyond•

ICCCorporatePlan2007-2012•

ICCNatureConservationStrategy•2008

11.4 MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN The following tables provide detailed managementactionstomeetthepriorityManagementThemekeyobjectives.

Figure15.HierarchyofplansforWaterwayHealthManagementinIpswich

63

11.3

.1 T

hem

e 1

- Wat

er Q

ualit

y Im

prov

emen

t

ACT

ION

SUB-

ACT

ION

DES

CRIP

TIO

NKE

Y O

BJEC

TIV

EPR

IORI

TYST

ART

YE

AR

WQ

1 Lo

cal W

ater

way

Pl

anni

ng a

nd M

anag

emen

t

WQ1.1Develop

and

implem

entL

ocal

WaterwayM

anagem

entP

lans(LWMP)

forea

chm

ajorsub

-catchmen

t.

Toprovide

spe

cific,targetedman

agem

ent

actio

nsth

atwillid

entifypriorityareasand

in

vest

men

t nee

ds fo

r Co

unci

l to

impr

ove

waterwayhea

lthonasub-catchm

entb

asis.

WQ1RC

3W

Q2

RC

5WQ3RC

8W

Q4

EA

5

Hig

h1

WQ1.2Develop

and

ado

ptlo

cal

waterqua

lityob

jecti

vesforIpsw

ich

waterways.

StateGovernm

entsetW

QO’sprovide

thelong

-term

aspira

tiona

ltargets.LocalW

QO’sta

keinto

considerati

onlo

calcatchmen

tcon

ditio

nsand

land

uses,to

provide

sho

rt-termta

rgets.The

se

willbeiden

tified

throug

htheLW

MPs.

WQ1

WQ3

Med

ium

1

WQ

2 W

ater

Qua

lity

Mon

itor

ing

WQ2.1Establishalocalw

ater

quality

mon

itoring

program

,whe

re

approp

riate,asan

evaluati

onto

ol

for

asse

ssm

ent o

f man

agem

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initiati

ves.

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l wat

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ualit

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onito

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will

pro

vide

ba

selin

eda

tato

assesstheeff

ectiv

enessof

man

agem

enta

ction

san

dsupp

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Stateof

theEn

vironm

entrep

ortin

g.

WQ1

WQ

2WQ3

Med

ium

2

WQ2.2Su

pportthe

SEQ

Ecosystem

Hea

lthM

onito

ring

Program

.Re

view

Cou

ncil’scurren

tfina

ncialcon

tributi

on

toth

eregion

alEHMPwith

SEQ

HWPtoensure

valu

e to

Ipsw

ich

thro

ugh

the

annu

al re

port

car

d ratin

g.

WQ

4CE

5Med

ium

1

WQ

3 Se

dim

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nd

Nut

rien

t Ass

essm

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fsedimen

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tinp

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tifyan

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entforpriority

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thecarrying

cap

acity

offreshwatertributaries.

WQ

2Med

ium

2

WQ3.2Assesspo

llutantlo

adsfrom

ruralroa

ds.

Iden

tifyan

dad

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ctsfrom

un

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igh

2

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tic

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-site

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waterqua

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area

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Iden

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con

taminan

tim

pactsfrom

un-sewered

prope

rties.

WQ

2W

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CE4

Low

3

64

ACT

ION

SUB-

ACT

ION

DES

CRIP

TIO

NKE

Y O

BJEC

TIV

EPR

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TYST

ART

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AR

WQ

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M

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WQ4.1Re

invigo

rateacross-

depa

rtm

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king

gro

up fo

r ‘In

tegrated

Urban

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Man

agem

ent’.

To e

nsur

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cons

iste

nt a

nd c

oord

inat

ed

appr

oach

to u

rban

sto

rmw

ater

man

agem

ent

acrossth

erelevantareasofC

ouncil.

WQ

2WQ3

RC4

CE5

Hig

h1

WQ4.2Seta

Cou

ncilpo

licyfor

‘Integrated

Urban

WaterCycle

Man

agem

ent’.

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neCou

ncil’spo

sitio

non

urban

storm

water

man

agem

enttha

tincorpo

ratesallsocial,

environm

entaland

econo

micaspects.

WQ

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RC4

CE5

Hig

h1

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Cou

ncilgu

idelines

for

Low

Impa

ct D

evel

opm

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(LID)p

rinciplesinallGreen

field

developm

ents.

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uide

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atre

plicatepre-de

velopm

ent

stream

hydrology,tha

tinclude

s:

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retenti

onalong

natural

dr

aina

ge c

orri

dors

•Maintainpred

evelop

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ttimeof

concen

trati

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gh

Disconn

ectin

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perviousareas

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rass

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ay

Mee

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adre

ducti

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80%TSS,6

0%TP,45%

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0%grosspollutants).

WQ

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WQ

4H

igh

1

65

ACT

ION

SUB-

ACT

ION

DES

CRIP

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WQ

4 U

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Sto

rmw

ater

M

anag

emen

t

WQ4.4Und

ertakeacom

preh

ensive

review

ofC

ouncil’sUrban

Storm

water

Qua

lityMan

agem

entP

lan(USQ

MP)

for20

09/10.

TheEPAiscurrentlyre

vising

theEP

P(W

ater)

andde

veloping

theSPP(Hea

lthyWaters).Any

chan

gestolegislati

onto

bead

dressedinth

ene

xtre

view

ofthe

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dthede

velopm

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Hig

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cept

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imen

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rien

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ads

from

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an d

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nd

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ine

acce

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le lo

ads

that

are

con

sist

ent

with

localand

statewaterqua

lityob

jecti

ves.

Thesewillalignwith

theLW

MP’s.

WQ1

WQ

2Med

ium

2

WQ4.6Maintainan

dmon

itorexistin

gStormwaterQua

lityIm

provem

ent

Devices(S

QID’s).

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ew c

urre

nt m

aint

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ce re

gim

e an

d mon

itorqu

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esoflitter/deb

risremoved

from

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enessin

improvingwaterqua

lity.

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2Med

ium

2

WQ4.7Investigateth

ebe

nefitsof

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rnati

vesan

dtheir

applicab

ilityin

new

and

existing

urban

area

s.

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ectiv

enessofSQID’sto

remove

pollu

tant

s fr

om u

rban

sto

rmw

ater

and

thei

r be

nefitstoim

provingwaterqua

lity,partic

ularly

forretrofi

tting

inexisting

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WQ

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w3

WQ4.8Und

ertakeanassessmen

tof

urba

n st

orm

wat

er o

utle

ts a

long

the

Brem

erRiverand

majortributaries.

Prioritiseou

tletsfo

rreha

bilitati

onbased

on

cond

ition

,accessibility,and

cost/be

nefit.

WQ

2Med

ium

1

WQ4.9Re

habilitatepriority

stor

mw

ater

out

lets

to re

duce

ban

k erosionan

dsedimen

tatio

n.

Allo

catio

nbu

dgetorsourceexterna

lfun

ding

to

reha

bilitati

onpriority

outlets.

WQ

2Med

ium

On-go

ing

WQ4.10

Develop

anUrban

StormwaterAssetM

ainten

ance

Man

ual.

Dev

elop

a m

aint

enan

ce m

anua

l for

inte

rnal

and

externalstakeho

lders,in

clud

ing:accep

table

solutio

nsand

criteria.Thiswillalignwith

the

region

al‘W

aterbyDesign’W

SUDm

anua

ls.

WQ

2Med

ium

1

WQ4.11

Estab

lishan

infrastructure

char

ging

regi

me

for

urba

n st

orm

wat

er

assets.

Toalignwith

new

statere

gulatio

nsand

Cou

ncil’s

USQ

MP.

WQ

2H

igh

1

66

ACT

ION

SUB-

ACT

ION

DES

CRIP

TIO

NKE

Y O

BJEC

TIV

EPR

IORI

TYST

ART

YE

AR

WQ

5 Fl

oati

ng d

ebri

s an

d litt

er

WQ5.1Develop

and

implem

ent

a po

licy

for

the

man

agem

ent a

nd

removaloffl

oatin

gde

brisand

litteron

Ipsw

ichwaterways.

Coun

cilcurrentlypartic

ipatesin

theHWP

Clea

n-UpProg

ramto

removehu

man

gen

erated

flo

ating

deb

risfrom

thetid

alre

ache

softh

eBrisba

neand

BremerRivers.Floati

ngdeb

ris

isahighlyvisibleim

pactonwaterwayhea

lth,

particularlyinth

eCB

Dre

ach.

WQ

2W

Q4

Med

ium

2

WQ5.2Su

pportthe

SEQ

HWPClea

n-UpProg

ram.

Conti

nuetoprovide

fina

ncialand

technical

supp

orttotheregion

alprogram

,and

investigate

oppo

rtun

itiesfo

rexpa

nsionofclean

uparea

salon

gIpsw

ichwaterways.

WQ

2W

Q4

CE5

Med

ium

On-go

ing

WQ5.3Re

view

thecurren

tstree

tsw

eeping

program

.Investigateth

epo

tenti

alfo

rstreetswee

ping

tobeused

in‘litterhotspots’to

removegross

pollu

tantsfrom

urban

storm

water.

WQ

2Lo

w2

WQ

6 Po

int

Sour

ce P

ollu

tion

M

anag

emen

t

WQ6.1Develop

and

implem

enta

Po

intS

ourcePo

llutio

nMan

agem

ent

Plan

.

Investigateopp

ortunitie

stofu

rthe

rredu

ce

nutrientlo

adsfrom

pointsou

rcedischa

rges,

throug

hpa

rtne

rshipswith

EPA

,recycledwater

entity,in

dustriesand

otherstakeho

lders.

WQ

2WQ3

WQ

4Med

ium

2

67

68

11.

3.2

Them

e 2

- Rip

aria

n Co

rrid

or M

anag

emen

t

ACT

ION

SUB-

ACT

ION

DES

CRIP

TIO

NKE

Y O

BJEC

TIV

EPR

IORI

TYST

ART

YE

AR

RC1

Plan

ning

Mec

hani

sms

RC1.1Develop

aW

aterway

Man

agem

entC

ode.

Develop

and

ado

ptanew

cod

einth

eIPSfor

theprotectio

nan

dacceptab

leuseswith

inth

eripa

rian

corrido

rs.

RC5

Hig

h1

RC1.2Ado

ptth

eSEQStrea

mOrder

Map

asthede

sign

ated

waterways

map

forIpsw

ich.

Review

,upd

atean

dreplacethede

sign

ated

waterwaysmap

inth

eIPS.

RC4

Hig

h1

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dtheIPStoado

ptth

ere

com

men

ded

min

imum

rip

aria

n corridorwidthsforallw

aterways.

Minim

umripariancorridorwidthstobeba

sed

onstrea

morder,and

protected

throug

htheIPS.

RC5

Hig

h1

RC2

Wat

er S

ensi

tive

Urb

an

Des

ign

RC2.1En

sureCou

ncil’sWSU

D

guidelinesid

entifyan

dad

dressthe

locatio

nofstorm

waterinfrastructure

so th

at it

has

min

imal

impa

ct o

n ripa

rian

corrido

rs,and

takesinto

considerati

onth

efunctio

noffirsta

nd

second

orderstrea

msinoverlan

dflo

w

movem

ent.

Stormwaterinfrastructureisto

belocated

off-strea

mand

notwith

inth

ede

fined

riparian

corridorfo

rthatstrea

morder.

RC2

RC5

Hig

h1

RC3

Nat

ural

Cha

nnel

Re

stor

ation

Gui

delin

e

RC3.1Develop

and

implem

ent

aNaturalCha

nnelRestoratio

nGuide

line.

Guide

linefortherestorati

onofcon

structed

and

na

tura

l cha

nnel

s th

at in

corp

orat

es b

oth

hard

an

dsofteng

inee

ring

soluti

ons,and

includ

es

stan

darddrawings.

RC1

RC2

CE1

CE3

Hig

h1

RC4

Ripa

rian

Cor

rido

r Po

licy

RC4.1Develop

and

ado

ptaRiparian

CorridorPolicy.

Policyintentfo

rtheprotectio

nan

dm

anag

emen

t of r

ipar

ian

corr

idor

s ac

ross

the

organisatio

n,inform

ingde

cision

-making.

RC2

Hig

h1

69

ACT

ION

SUB-

ACT

ION

DES

CRIP

TIO

NKE

Y O

BJEC

TIV

EPR

IORI

TYST

ART

YE

AR

RC5

Ripa

rian

Cor

rido

r Pr

otec

tion

, Man

agem

ent

and

Enha

ncem

ent

RC5.1Develop

and

implem

enta

Ripa

rian

Corrido

rRe

vegetatio

nGuide

line.

Stan

dardised

revegetatio

ngu

idelineforpu

blic

andprivateland

toguide

reha

bilitati

onofcreek

banksan

dreinstatem

ento

fnati

veriparian

vegetatio

n.

RC1

RC2

CE1

CE2

CE5

Med

ium

2

RC5.2Re

view

thecurren

tEnh

anced

AccesstoW

aterwaysprog

ram.

Review

theWaterside

ParksStrategytofo

cuson

amultip

le-objectiv

eap

proa

chfo

rrecreatio

nal

andwaterwayhea

lthoutcomes.

RC2

CE2

Med

ium

2

RC5.3Iden

tify,assess,prioritise

and

map

rip

aria

n ar

eas

into

thre

e catego

riesofsignifican

ce:h

igh,

med

iumand

low.

Curren

tly,the

rearenoripa

rian

areasdesigna

ted

asbeing

ofH

ighEcolog

icalValue

(HEV

)in

Ipsw

ich.The

rearem

anycriticalareasth

atnee

dtobeiden

tified

and

assessed.Thiswilllink

with

map

ping

inre

gion

alplans,N

CSand

LWMP’s.

RC3

Med

ium

1

RC5.4Und

ertakeriparian

reha

bilitati

onprojectsinpriority

area

s.

On-grou

ndm

anagem

ent,enh

ancemen

tand

mainten

anceofriparianreha

bilitati

onprojects

inpriority

areas.

RC2

On-go

ing

1

RC5.5Investigateopp

ortunitie

sforvegetatio

noff

-setand

carbo

nsequ

estrati

onplanti

ngsinriparian

corridors.

Workinpartnershipwith

stategovernm

ent,

region

alNRM

bod

iesan

dland

holdersto

reinstatena

tivevegetatio

nalon

gIpsw

ich

waterways,id

entifying

priority

areasfo

rreceivingoff

-sets.Thiswillalignwith

the

implem

entatio

nofth

eNatureCo

nservatio

nStrategy.

RC2

RC6

RC7

CE4

CE5

Hig

h1

RC5.6Iden

tifyinternaland

externa

lfund

ingsources.

Iden

tifystan

d-alon

ean

dcomplem

entary

fund

ingop

portun

ities,suchas:d

evelop

er

contribu

tions,m

ajorin

frastructureprojects,

region

alpartnershipsan

dfede

ralgrants.

RC6

CE5

On-go

ing

1

70

ACT

ION

SUB-

ACT

ION

DES

CRIP

TIO

NKE

Y O

BJEC

TIV

EPR

IORI

TYST

ART

YE

AR

RC5

Ripa

rian

Cor

rido

r Pr

otec

tion

, Man

agem

ent

and

Enha

ncem

ent

RC5.7Re

design

theVo

luntary

Land

hold

er P

artn

ersh

ips

Prog

ram

to

targetriparianland

holders.

Review

theVo

luntaryCo

nservatio

nPartne

rships

Prog

ram

to ta

rget

pri

ority

are

as fo

r ri

pari

an

revegetatio

n,in

corporati

ngte

chnicalsup

port

andfin

ancialin

centi

ves,aligning

with

the

NatureCo

nservatio

nStrategyobjectiv

es.

RC7

CE4

Hig

h1

RC5.8Streng

then

partnershipwith

Ip

swic

h Ri

vers

Impr

ovem

ent T

rust

(IR

IT).

Workinpartnershipwith

IRITto

iden

tifyan

dprioritiseprojectsfo

rtheremovalofriparian

wee

ds,and

opp

ortunitie

sforreinstatem

ento

fna

tivevegetatio

n.

RC6

CE5

Med

ium

1

RC5.9Im

proveripa

rian

con

ditio

non

pu

blicland

.Re

mov

al o

f rip

aria

n w

eeds

and

rein

stat

emen

t of

nativ

evegetatio

ntobeinclud

edin

line

arope

nspaceplan

ning

and

mainten

anceprogram

s,and

infrastructurecon

structi

onand

aug

men

tatio

nprojects.

RC2

CE2

Hig

hOn-go

ing

RC5.10

Increa

sem

ainten

ancetimes

forprojectsite

s.Includ

efollo

w-upmainten

anceasacore

compo

nentofrevegetati

onprojects,fo

ra

minim

umofthree

yea

rs.

RC2

Hig

hOn-go

ing

RC5.11

Incorporateen

vironm

ental

asse

ssm

ent i

nto

the

plan

ning

pro

cess

fo

r Co

unci

l’s m

ajor

infr

astr

uctu

re

projects.

Allmajorinfrastructureprojects(eg:trun

ksewerm

ains,roa

dup

grad

es)toinclud

epr

ovis

ions

for

eros

ion

and

sedi

men

t con

trol

and

ripa

rian

vegetati

onprotecti

on/reinstatemen

t.

RC2

RC5

RC6

Hig

h2

71

11.3

.3 Th

eme

3 - C

omm

unit

y A

ppre

ciati

on

ACT

ION

SUB-

ACT

ION

DES

CRIP

TIO

NKE

Y O

BJEC

TIV

EPR

IORI

TYST

ART

YE

AR

CA1

Inte

rnal

St

akeh

olde

r En

gage

men

t

CA1.1Develop

and

implem

enta

nin

tern

al s

take

hold

er W

ater

way

Hea

lth

Man

agem

ente

ngagem

entp

rogram

.

Impr

ove

inte

rnal

sta

keho

lder

cap

acity

to a

ddre

ss w

ater

way

he

althm

anagem

entissue

sinplann

ingan

dop

erati

onal

activ

itieseg:Sed

imen

tand

Erosion

Con

trolAwaren

ess

Prog

ram

CE1

CE3

CE4

Med

ium

1

CA2

Com

mun

ity

Educ

ation

and

A

war

enes

s

CA2.1Re

view

and

upd

ateCo

uncil’s

waterwayhea

lthedu

catio

nan

daw

aren

essmaterial.

Develop

and

implem

enttargeted,up-to-datewaterwayhea

lth

andripa

rian

corrido

rman

agem

ente

ducatio

nan

dinform

ation

material,throug

hprintedan

delectron

icm

ediums,and

topic-

focusedworksho

ps/fo

rums/commun

ityevents.

CE1

On-go

ing

1

CA2.2Develop

and

deliveran

educati

onand

awaren

essprog

ram

forkeystakeh

olde

rs(e

g:develop

ers,

land

holders)onwaterwayhea

lthand

ripa

rian

corrido

rman

agem

ent.

Providetraining

opp

ortunitie

sforkeystakeh

olde

rsto

increa

se

theirkn

owledg

e,cap

acity

and

und

erstan

ding

,toredu

ceth

eim

pactson

waterwayhea

lth.

CE3

CE4

CE5

Med

ium

2

CA2.3Installcatchmen

tand

stormwaterm

anagem

entsigna

ge.

Dev

elop

and

inst

all s

igna

ge to

incr

ease

aw

aren

ess

of

catchm

ents,safetyan

dam

enity

value

sforstormwaterassets

inpub

licspa

ces.

CE1

Med

ium

1

CA3

Acc

ess

to

Wat

erw

ays

CA3.1Im

provean

dincrea

se

com

mun

ity a

cces

s po

ints

to

waterways.

Enha

ncecommun

itywaterwayand

water-based

recreatio

nal

expe

rien

cesthroug

heff

ectiv

ede

sign

ofw

aterside

parksand

placem

ento

fedu

catio

nalsigna

gein

pub

licline

arope

nspace.

CE1

CE2

Med

ium

2

CA4

Part

ners

hips

CA4.1En

couragebu

sine

ssesand

indu

striesto

becom

einvolved

inon-

grou

ndm

anagem

entp

rojects.

Build

partnershipswith

com

mun

itystakeho

lderstopartic

ipate

inwaterwayhea

lthim

provem

enta

ctivitie

s.CE

2CE

5Med

ium

2

CA4.2Streng

then

partnershipswith

stateagen

cies,regiona

lNRM

bod

ies

andlocalN

RMgroup

s.

Conti

nuetobuildand

stren

gthe

npa

rtne

rshipsto

ensure

cong

ruen

ceofide

as,targetsand

objectiv

esfo

rwaterway

healthm

anagem

entinIpsw

ich.

CE5

Med

ium

1

CA4.3Streng

then

partnershipswith

privateland

holders.

Includ

etargeted

edu

catio

nan

daw

aren

essprog

ramsan

dpa

rtne

rshipincenti

vesforripa

rian

land

holders.A

lignwith

the

existin

gVC

Aprogram

deliverymecha

nism

s.

CE1

CE3

CE4

CE5

Hig

h1

72

73

SECTION 6 - ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT

‘I have my own views about nature’s methods,thoughIfeelthatitisratherlike a beetle giving his opinions upon theMilkyWay.’

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

12. ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENTThe management framework for waterway healthinIpswichneedstobeadaptive.Thatis,onethathasbuiltintoitthecapacityto learn from management decisions and to change management strategies on the basis ofimprovedknowledge.Thisisnecessarybecause:

our knowledge of waterway •health processes and the causes ofdegradationisincomplete,andcontinuallybeingreviewedandupdated

waterways are highly variable and •their responses to management actionscannotbeeasilypredictedandoftentakeanumberofyearstobe realised

community awareness and desires •for healthy ecosystems is constantly evolving.

12.1 MONITORING AND EVALUATIONThemajorelementsofaneffectiveadaptivemanagement framework for waterway healthinvolveacombinationofplanning,management,researchandmonitoringmechanisms,including:

Highquality,baselineinformation•on waterway health and catchment management processes to be used as the basis for local planning

Understandingofwaterwayhealth•processes and their responses to managementactivities

Performance monitoring to assess •whethertargetsandobjectiveshavebeen achieved

Review processes to incorporate •newinformationintoplansandworksprograms,and

Community commitment and •involvementinlong-termmanagement.

Council will need to review current local and regional monitoring arrangements and determine their relevance for assessing Council’swaterwaystrategicdirectionandimplementationofmanagementactionstoachievestatutoryandnon-statutorywaterqualityobjectives.Monitoringandevaluationofthesetperformanceindicatorswillalsoguidethefuturedirectionofwaterway health management in Ipswich andinformthereviewprocessoftheWHS.

74

GLOSSARYANZECC AustralianandNewZealandEnvironmentandConservationCouncil

ARI Average Recurrence Interval

BAP BremerActionPlan(partoftheSEQHWS)

BCA BremerCatchmentAssociationInc.

CFOC CaringforourCountry(FederalGovernmentfunding)

CoM CouncilofMayors(SEQ)

EHMP EcosystemHealthMonitoringProgram

EPA EnvironmentalProtectionAgency

ERA EnvironmentallyRelevantActivity

EV’s Environmental Values

HWP SEQHealthyWaterwaysPartnership

ICC Ipswich City Council

IRIT Ipswich Rivers Improvement Trust

LID Low Impact Development

MBWCP MoretonBayWaterwaysandCatchmentPartnership(nowknownasHWP)

NAPSWQ NationalActionPlanforSalinityandWaterQuality

NHT NaturalHeritageTrust

NLP NationalLandcareProject

NRM NaturalResourceManagement

NRW DepartmentofNaturalResourcesandWater

QWQG’s Queensland Water Quality Guidelines

SEQC SouthEastQueenslandCatchmentsLtd

SEQHWS SouthEastQueenslandHealthyWaterwaysStrategy2007-2012

SEQRWQMS SouthEastQueenslandRegionalWaterQualityManagementStrategy2001-2006

SOE StateoftheEnvironmentReporting

SWAG SixMile,WoogarooandGoodnaCreekscatchment

WCRWS WesternCorridorRecycledWaterScheme

WQO’s WaterQualityObjectives

WSUD WaterSensitiveUrbanDesign

75

DEFINITIONS Assimilative Capacity-Thecapacityofabodyofwatertoreceivewastewatersortoxicmaterials,withoutdeleteriouseffectsanddamagetoaquaticlifeorhumanswhoconsumethewater.

Average Recurrence Interval (ARI)-Theaverage,orexpected,valueoftheperiodsbetweenexcedencesofagivenrainfalltotalaccumulatedoveragivenduration.

Catchment-Anareaoflandboundedbynaturalfeaturessuchashills,fromwhichdrainageflowstoacommonpoint,usuallyendinginariverorcreekandeventuallythesea.

Catchment Management-Processinvolvingtheassessmentofacatchmentsneeds,appraisalofitsassetsandapplicationofaplantobestmeetindividualneeds.

Designated Waterway-AnywaterwayoranypartofanywaterwaywhichtheAuthorityhasdeclared to be a designated waterway in Queensland

Diffuse Source Pollution-Non-pointsourcesofpollutionsuchassedimentornutrientsfromcatchmentrunoff,groundwaterinputsoratmosphericfall-out.

Ecosystem Health-Ameasureoftheabilityofanecosystemtobeproductive,itsbiologicaldiversityanditsresiliencetochange.

Environmental Value-Particularvaluesorusesoftheenvironmentthatareimportantforahealthyecosystemorforpublicbenefit,welfare,safetyorhealthandthatrequireprotectionfromtheeffectsofcontaminants,wastedischargesanddeposits.Severalenvironmentalvaluesmaybedesignatedforaspecificwaterbody(AWQG,2000).

Environmentally Relevant Activity–ERAsareusuallyindustrialactivitieswiththepotentialtoreleasecontaminantstotheenvironment,forexamplechemicalprocessing,wastetreatment,spraypaintingetc.Someagriculturalactivitiessuchaspiggeries,prawnfarmsandcattlefeedlotsarealsoERAs.

First Flush-Initialsurfacerunofffromarainfallevent.

Organic Carbon-Carbonthathas,atsomestage,beenincorporatedintoanorganism.Inaquaticenvironments,organiccarbonisproducedbyplantphotosynthesisandbacterialgrowth.Leachingofhumicsubstancesanddecompositionofplantsandanimalsarealsonaturalsourcesoforganiccarbontosurfacewaters.Human-relatedsourcesincludeagriculturalrunoffandmunicipalandindustrialeffluents.

Point Source-Asinglepointofpollutantdischarge.Forexample,effluentfromasewagetreatmentplantoranindustrialwastewatertreatmentplant.

Riparian-Oforpertainingtothebankofariver;besideoralongthebankofariver,pondorsmalllake.

Riparian Corridor–Alsoknownastheriparianzone,riparianareaorriparianland,isanylandthatadjoinsordirectlyinfluencesabodyofwater,suchasariver,creek,gully,lakeorwetland.

Riparian Vegetation–Plantcommunitiesexistingalongtheripariancorridor.

Scour-Aformofbankerosioncausedbysedimentbeingremovedfromstreambanksparticlebyparticle.Scouroccurswhentheforceappliedtoabankbyflowingwaterexceedstheresistanceofthebanksurfacetowithstandthoseforces.

Solodic Soil -Soilstypicallyfoundinsemi-aridandsubhumidclimaticzones,tendingtobeverydensesoilswithlowpermeability.

76

Stream Order-Streamorderingisamethodusedtodescribewaterwaysbasedontheconnectivityandhierarchyoftributarieswithinacatchment.Streamorderscommencewithfirstorderstreamsattheheadofacatchment,generallycomprisedofanetworkofsmallperennialgullies.Formostoftheyearthesegulliesaredryandnoteasilyidentifiable.Duringraineventsfirstorderstreamsandgulliesplayanimportantroleinthecollectionanddeliveryofwatertothemainbranchofthewaterway.

Waterway-Achannelorpaththroughwhichwaterflows,eithercontinually,intermittentlyoroccasionally.Atermusedtodescriberivers,creeks,streams,ponds,lakes,drainsandchannels.

Waterway Health–Determinedthrougharangeofquantitativeandqualitativeassessmentssuchaswaterquality,riparianvegetationcondition,surroundinglanduse,channelmodification,andlevelanddiversityofinvertebrateandvertebratelife,inbothfreshwaterandestuarinesystems.

Water Quality Objective-Aquantitativedescriptionofthephysico-chemicalqualityofthewater in a water body that needs to be maintained in order for the water body’s Environmental Valuestobeprotected.Forexample,WaterQualityObjectivesmaybesettoprovidestakeholderswithknowledgeonthelevelofwaterturbidityinwesternMoretonBaythat,ifexceededonasustainedbasis,willresultinthelossofvaluableseagrassmeadows.

77

78

REFERENCESBinning,C.,Young,M.,andCripps,E.(1999)BeyondRoads,RatesandRubbish;OpportunitiesforLocalGovernmenttoconservenativevegetation.NationalR&DProgramonRehabilitation,ManagementandConservationofRemnantVegetation.EnvironmentAustralia,Canberra.

Briggs,L.(2007)SouthEastQueenslandNaturalResourceManagementPlanReview–GapAnalysisofSouthEastQueensland’sNaturalResourceManagementPolicy,TargetsandActivity.SouthEastRegionalCoordinationGroup.

Cooper,S.(2003)EmergingNRMArrangements:PositioningandImplicationsforIpswichCityCouncil(Draft).SinclairKnightMerz,Brisbane.

DepartmentofLocalGovernment,Planning,SportandRecreation,andLGAQ.(2006)AProtocol:EstablishingrolesandresponsibilitiesoftheStateGovernmentintheQueenslandSystemofLocalGovernment.DeptLGPSR,Brisbane.

DepartmentofNaturalResourcesandEnvironment.(2002).HealthyRiversHealthyCommunities&RegionalGrowth:VictorianRiverHealthStrategy.TheStateofVictoria,Melbourne.

DepartmentofPrimaryIndustries,WaterandEnvironment.(2002).TasmanianNaturalResourceManagementFramework.TasmanianGovernment,Hobart.

EnvironmentalProtectionAgency.(2008).ClimateChangeinQueensland:Whatthescienceistellingus.TheStateofQueensland,Brisbane.

EnvironmentACT.(2000).AnIntegratedCatchmentManagementFrameworkfortheACT.PublishingServicesforEnvironmentACT,Canberra.

Harris,C.,Bell,S.,Jordan,L.,Haworth,L.F.J.,Pollard,P.C.andRamsay,I.R.(2003).BremerRiverEstuaryandCatchmentAudit–TechnicalReport.PublishedbytheCRCCoastalZone,EstuaryandWaterwayManagementandMoretonBayWaterwaysandCatchmentPartnership.

Hullick,J.(2002)TheScopingStudy:ReportofScopingStudytoInvestigateLocalGovernment’sRoleinIntegratedCatchmentManagementincludingNaturalResourceManagement.MurrayDarlingBasinAssociation,.

IpswichCityCouncil.(2007)IpswichCityCouncilCorporatePlan2007-2012.IpswichCityCouncil,Ipswich.

LandandWaterAustralia.(2004).RiverLandscapesFactSheetSeries.LandandWaterAustralia,Canberra.

FactSheet1–ManagingRiparianLand•

FactSheet13–ManagingRiparianWidth•

LGAQ(2005)IntegratingnaturalResourceManagementintoLocalGovernmentCorporate,StrategicandOperationalPlans.LGAQ,Brisbane.

LGAQ.(2007a).NaturalResourceManagementManualforLocalGovernmentOperationalStaff.LGAQ,Brisbane.

LGAQ.(2007b).MemorandumofUnderstandingBetweenLocalGovernmentAssociationofQueenslandandQueenslandRegionalNaturalResourceManagementCollectiveLtd.LGAQ,Brisbane.

LowChoy,D.,andMaccheroni,A.(2006)Enhancingtheroleoflocalgovernmentincooperativenaturalresourcemanagement.CRCforCoastalZoneEstuary&WaterwayManagement,Indooroopilly.

79

Miles,Bob.,Marshall,Carmel.,Kinnear,Susan.andGreer,Lindsay.(2008).ClimateChangeandtheImplicationsforLocalGovernment:Ariskassessment.InstituteforSustainableRegionalDevelopment,Rockhampton.

Pollard,P.,Bell,P.,Coombs,S.,Leeming,R.,Chaloupka,M.,Phillips,J.,Hollywood,S.,Cook,P.,Moss,A.andStratton,H.(2001)BremerRiverPilotStudy.CRCforCoastalZoneEstuary,Indooroopilly.

SEQHealthyWaterwaysPartnership.(2007a).SouthEastQueenslandHealthyWaterwaysStrategy2007-2012Volume1.

SEQHealthyWaterwaysPartnership.(2007b).SouthEastQueenslandHealthyWaterwaysStrategy2007-2012Volume2.

SMECAustralia.(2007).ClimateChangeAdaptationActionsforLocalGovernment.AustralianGreenhouseOffice,Canberra.

WBMOceanicsAustralia.(2002).BremerRiverCatchment–ManagementStrategyStage2.WBMOceanicsAustralia,Brisbane.

80

81

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1. MILESTONES AND ACHIEVEMENTSIpswichCityCouncilhasbeenactivelyinvolvedinnumerouscatchmentmanagementandwaterwayhealthinitiativessince1995,aslistedbelow.

1995

CommencementoftheBremerRiverEnhancementProjectandformationoftheBremerCatchmentAssociationInc.(formallyBremerRiverCatchmentCoordinatingCommittee)–BremerRiverCatchmentManagementStrategy

Stage1&2

1996FundingfortheImplementingCatchmentManagementintotheSixMile,

WoogarooandGoodnaCreekCatchments(Stage1andStage2)

1999 CommencementoftheBremerRiverClean-UpProject

2001CommitmenttoWastewaterTreatmentPlantupgradesthroughtheSEQRegional

WaterQualityManagementStrategy

2001 InitiatepartnershipintheEcosystemHealthMonitoringProgram

2002 InitialfundingfortheWesternCatchmentsGroup

2002 DevelopmentoftheUrbanStormwaterQualityManagementPlan

2002 Jamboree Park Frog Ponds Project

2002

2004

2005

RiverCleanEvent–SixMileCreekWildlifeCorridor

RiverCleanEvent–BlueGumReserve

RiverCleanEvent–JimFinimorePark

2005 ExternalFundingthroughSEQCatchmentsforon-groundprojects

2006 RiverHeart Parklands Project

2006/07CommencementoftheBremerActionPlanintheSEQHealthyWaterways

Strategy

2007/08 BremerRiverBlitzrevegetationprojectwithGreeningAustraliaQld

On-going Enhanced Access to Waterways Program

On-going Assistance to community groups and private landholders

On-going InstallationandmaintenanceofStormwaterQualityImprovementDevices

82

APPENDIX 2. WATER QUALITY OBJECTIVES AND GUIDELINES RELEVANT TO IPSWICH

Parameter

EHMP WQO’s – Estuaries

(SEQRWQMS 2001)

Scheduled WQO’s – Bremer

River (March 2006)

Qld Water Quality Guidelines (March 2006)

SEQ Regional guideline values

Mid-Upper Estuary

Mid Estuary Upper Estuary

Level 2 Level 2 Level 2

TN <450μg/L <450μg/L <300μg/L <450μg/L

TP <60μg/L <60μg/L <25μg/L <30μg/L

DO 80-100%sat 80-100%sat 85-100%sat 80-100%sat

Turbidity <20NTU <20NTU <8NTU <25NTU

Chl a <10μg/L <10μg/L <4μg/L <8μg/L

Secchi >1.0m >0.5m

SS <30mg/L <20mg/L <25mg/L

pH 7.0-8.4 7.0-8.4

83

APPENDIX 3. NATIONAL LEGISLATION AND STATE LEGISLATION RELEVANT TO WATERWAY HEALTH MANAGEMENT Nationallegislation

DESCRIPTIONRELEVANCETO

IPSWICHCITYCOUNCIL

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Protectionandconservationofnationallysignificantecologicalcommunities,wetlandsandspecies,including:worldheritageproperties,nationalheritagepropertiesandRamsarwetlands.

Referral agency for development applicationsthatimpactonspeciesorcommunitieslistedunderthe

EPBCAct1999.

Statelegislation,policiesandguidelines.

DESCRIPTIONRELEVANCETO

IPSWICHCITYCOUNCIL

Local Government Act 1993Definesrole’sofLocalGovernmentas:

Law-makingforlocallaws•

Adoptionandimplementationofpolicy•

Administrationoflocalgovernment•

Enforcement of local laws•

The natural environment and waterways are recognised as prioritiesintheIpswichCityCouncilCorporatePlan2007-2012.

Council as a role in the development and enforcement of Local Laws and Policiesrelevanttowaterwayhealth.

Water Act 2000Provides for the sustainable management of water in respect to:worksfortakingorinterferingwithwater;waterallocation;andprotectionandimprovingthephysicalintegrityofwatercourses,lakesandsprings.

TheActcontrolstheremovalofnativevegetationfromnon-tidalwatercoursesthroughtheRiverineProtectionPermit,administeredbyDNR&W.

Includessub-ordinatelegislation:

WaterRegulation2002•

MoretonResourcePlan•

ResourceOperationsPlan•

DroughtManagementPlans•

SystemLeakageManagementPlans•

Council is required to develop and implementoperationalplansthatmeetrequirementsoftheact,suchas:

WaterEfficiencyManagement•Plan’s(WEMP’s)

DroughtManagementPlan•

EnvironmentalProtectionAct1994

ProtectionandcontrolofdegradationandQueensland’senvironment,encompassingtheprinciplesofEcologicallySustainableDevelopment.

Includessub-ordinatelegislationandrequirements,including:

EnvironmentalProtectionPolicy’s•

EnvironmentalValuesandWaterQualityObjectives•

StateoftheEnvironmentReporting•

Council is required to develop plans and address compliance to theAct,through:

UrbanStormwaterQuality•ManagementPlan

Regulatory enforcement of•Environmentally RelevantActivities(ERA’s)

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CoastalProtectionandManagementAct1997Providesfortheprotection,conservation,rehabilitationandmanagementofthecoast,coastalzoneanditsresources.Includes:

RegionalCoastalManagementPlans•

CoastalManagementDistricts•

Restricts the type and amount of development within the Coastal ManagementDistricts.Councilmeets requirements under the Act through referral of relevant developmentapplicationsthatimpactontidalwaterways.

FisheriesAct1994Managementandprotectionforfishresourcesandfisherieshabitats.

Council meets requirements under theActthroughreferralofactivitiesthat impact on freshwater and marinefishhabitatsandtheclearingofmarineplantsintidalareas.

IntegratedPlanningAct1997The purpose of the Integrated Planning Act is to achieve ecologicalsustainabilityandbiologicaldiversitybycoordinatingplanningatlocal,regionalandstatelevelsandtomanagedevelopmentprocessanditsimpactsontheenvironment.

TheIpswichPlanningSchemeidentifiesconstraintsinlandusesto achieve ecologically sustainable developmentoutcomes,fortheprotectionofIpswich’senvironment.

NatureConservationAct1992Providesaframeworkforidentifying,gazettingandmanagingprotectedareastomaintainnaturalconditions,andprovidesalistoffaunalandfloralscheduledspecies.

Council’sNatureConservationStrategysetsthedirectionfortheprotectionandenhancementofIpswich’snaturalareas.

VegetationManagementAct1999Regulatetheclearingofvegetationinawaythat:

Conservesendangered,ofconcernandnotofconcern•regional ecosystems

Vegetationindeclaredareas•

Doesn’tcauselanddegradation•

Prevents loss of biodiversity•

Maintainsecologicalprocesses•

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions•

Providesvegetationmanagementcodesthatquantifyriparianbufferwidthsfordifferentwatertypes.Setsretentionofriparianvegetationandretentionofclumpsorcorridors.

Council meets requirements under the Act through planning codes for assessmentofvegetationclearingunderIDAS.

TheBioregionalCodeundertheActisareferenceguideforpreventingvegetationclearinginripariancorridors.

LandProtection(PestandStockRouteManagement)Act2002Provides a framework for controlling declared plants and animalpests,includingaquaticweeds.

CouncilfulfilsrequirementsoftheActthrough:

ThePestManagementPlan.•Regulatoryinspectionsfordeclared plants and animalsonprivatelands.

Removal/eradicationof•declared plants and animalsfrompubliclands.

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APPENDIX 4. SEQ HEALTHY WATERWAYS PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT SCENARIOSManagementinterventionsweredividedintothreekeyareasandruninfivecategories,asfollows:

THREE KEY AREASupgrade of sewage treatment plants and wastewater reuse;•

urbandiffuseloadmitigation;and•

ruraldiffuseloadmitigation.•

FIVE CATEGORIES1. Base Case Scenarios–basedonabusinessasusualapproachwithcurrentorplanned

sewagetreatmentplantupgrades,andexistingurbanandruraldiffuseloadmitigationactivities.Resultsshowedsignificantincreasesinnitrogen,phosphorusandturbidityloadswithanincreaseinpopulationgrowth.WaterqualityintheBremerRiverestuarywouldcontinuetodecline.

2. Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Scenarios–furtherupgradeofsewagetreatmentplantstoachieve5:1mg/Lofnitrogentophosphorusdischarge,andimplementationofmanagementinitiativestoachievea50–100%reuseofdry-weatherflowwastewater.

3. Combined Load Mitigation Scenarios–combinationsofsewagetreatmentplantupgrades,wastewaterreuse,implementationofWSUDingreenfielddevelopmentareasandretrofitofexistingurbanareas,andreductioninruraldiffuseloads.ResultsshowedreducedlevelsofturbiditywithmanagementofdiffuseloadstoachievelimitedcomplianceofWQO’s(turbidity)intheupperreaches,butnotinthelowerreaches.Thereweresignificantimprovementsintotalnitrogenandtotalphosphorus,withincreasesindissolvedoxygenlevels.

4. Minimum Environmental Flow Strategies–twospecificmanagementscenariosfortheBremerRivertoaddincreasedenvironmentalflowsof2cumecsand10cumecstotheimplementationofScenario15.Modellingshowedthatincreasedenvironmentalflowsof10cumecswouldresultinmeetingthewaterqualityobjectivesforTNandTP,turbiditylevelsformostoftheestuarywouldcomply,andimproveddissolvedoxygenlevels.

5. Re-aeration Scenarios–Scenario15plus5g/sand10g/sdissolvedoxygen.ResultsshowedinsignificantchangetoTNandTPandnochangetoturbidity.Therewasasignificantincreaseindissolvedoxygenthroughoutthesystem,with10g/sexceeding100%saturationofdissolvedoxygen.

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APPENDIX 5. STREAM ORDER DIAGRAM

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APPENDIX 6. POTENTIAL CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON IPSWICH WATERWAYSClimate change presents a number of key challenges for Ipswich City Council and the communityforthemanagementofit’snaturalresourcesandwaterways.Themainconcernisthepotentialimpactsofclimatevariabilityandextremeweathereventsonaquaticbiodiversity,environmentalflows,waterquality,water-basedrecreation,infrastructureandhumanhealth.StudieshaveshownthatstreamflowsforcatchmentseastoftheGreatDividingRangeinQueenslandhavegenerallyshowna25%reductioninrainfallequatingtoa50%reductioninstreamflow(Milesetal).Thiswillhavesignificantimpactsonwaterquality,environmentalflowandaquaticbiodiversity.IthasalreadybeenidentifiedthatwaterqualityintheBremerRiverwillcontinuetodeclinewithoutregularflushingfromfreshwaterinflows(WRM).

Potentialimpactsofclimatechangeonwaterwayhealthandmanagementneedsatalocalgovernmentlevel,aredescribedinthefollowingtable.EffectivemanagementandprotectionofourwaterwayspresentsbothchallengesandopportunitiesforCouncil.

Climate Variable

Potential Impact Associated Impacts Potential Response / Adaption

Increased Air temperature

Warming of water•temperature

Reduced dissolved•oxygen levels

Increased•evaporation rates

Increased•distribution ofmosquitoes

Higher incidence•of fish kills

Increased•algal growthand bacterialproduction

Higher probability•of eutrophication

Loss of aquatic•biodiversity

Increased vector•and water-bourndiseases

Increase riparian•revegetation andwaterway shading

Control and•manage invasivespecies

Reduce diffuse•and point sourceinputs of nutrients

Build on current•wastewatertreatmentimprovementprojects

More Intense rainfall with less frequency

Shorter, sharper•peaks in rainfall

Less reliable•groundwaterinflows and run-off

Increased sheet•and gully erosion

Increased stream•bank erosion andcollapse

Higher sediment•levels – increasedturbidity

Increased•concentration ofpollution with lessregular flow

Implement•stormwaterharvesting projects

Achieve water•sensitive urbandesign (WSUD)in all newdevelopments

Progressively•retrofit WSUD inexisting areas.

Improve erosion•and sedimentcontrol practices

Increase•protection ofstream banks

Stabilisation of•stormwater outlets

Reduce pollution•discharges

Higher likelihood of extreme weather events (drought, flood, fire)

Unpredictable•stream flows

Higher risk of•flooding

Less reliable•supply of waterfor domestic andindustrial purposes

Increased risk•of damage toinfrastructure andsocial assets

Increased risk to•stream banks

Higher incidence•of wet weatherdischarges fromWWTP’s

Maintain flood•mitigation

Enhance riparian•corridor protection

Implement•integratedsolutions forurban stormwatermanagement

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APPENDIX 7. POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM PERI-URBAN AREASAsourceofdiffusesedimentthatisbecomingmoreprominentintheruralsectorisfrom‘lifestyleblocks’or‘peri-urban’developments.Anincreaseindiffusesourcesedimentandpollutantloadsoriginatingfromhousesites,accesstracksandkeepingoflivestockonsmallacreageislikelytoleadtohigherrateserosion,soilmobilisationandnutrientinputs.Thereisalimitedlevelofunderstandingandpracticalexperiencewithsoils,vegetationandgrazingthatcanleadtopoorlandmanagementpracticesintheseareas.

PopulationgrowthinSEQoverthenext20yearsisplacinghigherpressureonnon-urbanareasforresidentialpurposes.Considerationfordevelopmentrequirements(erosionandsedimentcontrol,on-siteseptictreatment,slopeandsoilconstraints)andcommunicationtopropertyownersoneffectivelandmanagementpracticesisrequiredtopreventfurtherimpactonwaterwayhealthfromnon-urbandiffusesources.

APPENDIX 8. HIERARCHY OF ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN WATERWAY HEALTH MANAGEMENT

APPENDIX 9. WATER SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN AND LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIESThereareanincreasingnumberofinitiativestomanagetheurbanwatercycleinamoresustainableway.Theseinitiativesareunderpinnedbysustainabilityprinciplesofwaterconservation,wasteminimisationandenvironmentalprotection.IntegrationofurbanwatercyclemanagementwithurbanplanninganddesignisknownasWaterSensitiveUrbanDesign(WSUD).WSUDpromotesinnovativeintegrationofurbanwatermanagementtechnologiesintoanurbanenvironment.Itrequiresstrategicplanningandconceptdesigns,underpinnedbysoundengineeringpracticesindesignandconstruction.ThereareanumberofkeyprincipleswhichunderpintheimplementationofWSUD.Theseare:

the principles of integrated catchment management;•

protectingecologicalandhydrologicalintegrity;•

integrationofgoodscienceandcommunityvaluesindecisionmaking;•

management of stormwater as close to source as possible; and•

equitablecostsharing.•

Theseprinciplescanbeachievedbyarangeofmeasuresappliedatbroadscaleandaimedat:

minimisingdisruptiontonaturaldrainages;•

minimising impervious areas;•

reducingthehydraulicconnectivityofthestormwatersystem;•

offsettingtheimpactsofdevelopmentbyincorporatingretentioncapacity;•

minimisingwaterrequirementsandreducingstormwaterrunoff;•

conservingwaterbyinstallingwaterefficientfixturesandappliances;•

harvestingrainwaterwithstorageinrainwatertanks;and•

useofgreywaterandtreatedeffluentfornon-portablepurposes.•

ThematterofcostsharingforbroadscalecatchmentsisbestaccommodatedbytheimplementationofstormwaterscheduleofchargesdevelopedinaccordancewithIntegratedPlanningAct.Thereishoweveraneedforhouseholdsandindividualstoplaytheirpart,tochangeourbehaviourinhowweusewater.ImportantlyStateDevelopmentCodesrespectivelyforresidential,commercialandindustrymandatestheprovisionofrainwatertanks(orotherstoragedevices)forinternal(eg.Toiletflushing,washingmachines)andexternal(gardenirrigationandpoolreplenishment)usesandthereforeneednotbediscussedfurther.

TypicallyconventionalWSUDmeasureshaveadoptedthestormwatermanagementapproachof“collectandtreat”strategy,dominatedbyendoflinesolutionssuchasregionaldetentionandbio-retentionbasins.Notablystormwatermanagementprogramshavestruggledto provide adequate abatement and treatment of stormwater at the current levels of development.Futuredevelopmentwillcreateevengreaterchallengesformaintainingandimprovingwaterqualityintheregionalwaterbodies.Anemergingstormwatermanagementapproachwhendevelopmentoccursisthesimulationofnaturalconditionswhichsignificantlyreducessitedevelopmentcosts,throughlessclearing,earthwork,pipes,drainagecontrolstructures,minimumuseofroadsidekerbandguttering,lessroadpavement,fewerfootpathsandlowerwetland,treeandstreammitigationcosts.ThisapproachisoftenreferredtoasLowImpactDevelopment(LID).Byworkingtomimicthenaturalwatercycle,LIDpracticesprotectdownstream resources from adverse pollutant and hydrological impacts that can degrade streamchannelsandharmaquaticlife.

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LowImpactDevelopment(LID)isastormwatermanagementstrategythathasbeenadoptedinmanylocalitiesacrossthenationandinternationally.Itisastormwatermanagementapproachandsetofpracticesthatcanbeusedtoreducerunoffandpollutantloadingsbymanagingtherunofftoclosetoitssource(s)aspossible.LIDistypicallyusedtoachieveorpursuethegoalofmaintainingorcloselyreplicatingtheredevelopmenthydrologyofthesite.Inareaswheredevelopmenthasalreadyoccurred,LIDcanbeusedasaretrofitpracticetoreducerunoffvolumes,pollutantloadings,andoverallimpactsofexistingdevelopmentontheaffectedreceivingwaterways.

LIDtechniquespromotetheuseofnaturalsystems,whichcaneffectivelyremovenutrients,pathogens,andmetalsfromstormwater.Furtherwaterwaysareprotectedfromtheimpactoffrequentandincreasedflowsbycontrollingrunoffvolumethroughmaximisinginfiltrationandevapotranspiration.SuchLIDtechniquesmayinclude:

Maximisingtreeretention,naturaldrainagecorridors•

Maintainingpredevelopmenttimeofconcentration(Tc),through•

Disconnectingimperviousareas(eg.Disconnectdownspoutsfromdrivewaysandkerbs•

Remove concrete kerb and channel•

Installgrassedorlandscapedswalesincommonareassuchasroads.•

Incorporatingbioretentionareas.•

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LIDpracticescanbegroupedintodifferentcategories,includingconservationdesigns,infiltrationpractices,runoffstoragepractices,runoffconveyancepractices,filtrationpracticesandlowimpactlandscaping.Belowareexamplesforeachofthesecategories.

LID Practice ExamplesConservation Design Cluster development•

Openspacepreservation•

Reducedpavementwidths(streets,footpaths)•

Shareddriveways•

Reducedsetbacks(shorterdriveways)•

Sitefingerprintingduringconstruction•

Infiltration Infiltrationbasinsandtrenches•

Porous pavement•

Disconnected downspouts•

Rain gardens and other vegetated treatment systems•

Runoff Storage Parkinglot,streetandvergestorage•

Rainwater tanks•

Depressionstorageinlandscapeislandsandintree,shruborturf•depressions.

Green roofs•

Runoff Conveyance Eliminatingkerbandchannel•

Creatinggrassedswalesandgrassedlinedchannels•

Rougheningrunoffsurfaces•

Creatinglongflowpathsoverlandscapedareas•

Installingsmallerculverts,pipesandinlets•

Creatingterracesandcheckdams•

Filtration Bioretention/raingardens•

Vegetated swales•

Vegetatedbio-swales/buffers•

Low Impact Landscaping

Plantingnative,droughttolerantplants•

Convertingturfareastoshrubsandtrees•

Reforestation•

Encouraging longer grass length•

Plantingwildflowerbedsratherthanturyalongmediansandinopen•space

Amendingsoiltoimprovefiltration•

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APPENDIX 10. LOCATION OF IDENTIFIED SCHEDULED SPECIES FOUND ALONG IPSWICH WATERWAYS

Native Fauna

Species Common Name Status LocationAccipiter novaehollandiae

Grey Goshawk Rare Woogaroo Creek

Adelotus brevis Tusked Frog Vulnerable Woogaroo CreekBrisbaneRiver(KholoBotanicalGardens)

Anas castanea Chestnut Teal Rare BundambaCreek(SwanbankLagoon)BrisbaneRiver(Chuwar)

Calyptorhynchus lathami

GlossyBlackCockatoo Vulnerable Woogaroo Creek

Delma torquate Collared Delma Vulnerable Woogaroo CreekBremerRiver(TigerSt)

Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus

Black-neckedStock Rare BundambaCreek(SwanbankLagoon)BrisbaneRiver(SaplingsPocket)BremerRiver(Bundamba)

Littoria brevipalmata Green-thighedFrog Rare WoogarooCreek(DevonDr)

Lophoictinia isura Square-tailedKite Rare BundambaCreek(SwanbankLagoon)

Melithreptus gularis Black-chinnedHoneyeater Rare Opossum CreekBremerRiver(CribbPark)WarrillCreek(GreensRd)Woogaroo Creek

Nettapus coromandelianus

CottonPygmy-goose Rare BrisbaneRiver(Chuwar)

Ninox strenua Powerful Owl Vulnerable Opossum CreekSixMileCreek

Pachycephala olivacea Olive Whistler Rare BrisbaneRiver(SaplingsPocket)

Podiceps cristatus Great Crested Grebe Rare BundambaCreek(SwanbankLagoon)BremerRiver(CribbPark)

Turnix melanogaster Black-breastedButtonQuail

Vulnerable BrisbaneRiver(SaplingsPocket)Opossum Creek

Native Flora

Alyzia ilicifolia subsp. Magnifolia

Large-leafChainfruit Rare BrisbaneRiver(SaplingsPocket)

Callitris baleyi Bailey’sCyprus Rare BrisbaneRiver(PineMt)

Choricarpia subargentea

Giant Ironwood Rare BrisbaneRiver(PineMt)

Eucalyptus dunnii Dunn’s White Gum Rare BrisbaneRiver(Junction)

Eucalyptus curtisii PlunkettMallee Rare BrisbaneRiver(Junction)BrisbaneRiver(SaplingsPocket)SixMileCreekWoogaroo Creek

Henandia bivalves GreaseNut Rare BrisbaneRiver(PineMt)

Indigofera baileyi Rare Opossum Creek

Marsdenia coronata SlenderMilkvine Vulnerable Opossum CreekSixMileCreek

Melaleuca irbyana Bush-housePaperbark Rare Purga Creek

Plectranthus habrophyllus

Endangered Opossum Creek

Rulingia salviifolia Rare SandyCreek(Camira)

Symplocus harroldii HairyHazelwood Rare Goodna CreekWoogaroo CreekOpossum Creek

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