The Noosa River was the topic of several questions submitted by residents to Noosa Council which were answered by Strategy and Environment director Kim Rawlings at Council’s Ordinary meeting held last week at Pomona Memorial School of Arts Hall.
Among them was one from Craig Vella who asked where the concept of a conservation park over the Noosa River had originated.
The idea of a conservation park as a management model to consider was first suggested by Noosa Parks Association, Ms Rawlings said.
“One of the complexities of managing the Noosa River system and catchment is that it is governed by a range of agencies, each with different responsibilities and legislative, regulatory, planning and community roles. For catchment management to be effective there needs to be a concerted and coordinated approach across all agencies and stakeholders.
“For the past 20 years council has explored a range of mechanisms to achieve integrated management and collaborative arrangements for the Noosa River Catchment.
“Most river catchments and many other local governments grapple with this and there are a range of models that exist. Council has explored many of these and various ideas have come from various sources both within Council and from our community,“ she said.
“Council officers did some initial investigation, noting like other models previously explored (the idea of a conservation park) was worthy of further consideration, officers therefore recommended it be included for investigation and consideration in the River Plan“.
In another question, Andrew McCarthy wanted to know if Noosa Council would remove all references to vessel restrictions from the draft Noosa River Catchment Management Plan and all other council plans and documentation that exist both now and in the future after MSQ general manager Kell Dillon, in an article in Noosa Today, said “We are the state marine regulator, no one else is, and we intend to regulate the Noosa River through proper zoning and planning, recognising that it is an important resource for the state, and maximising its use for all people, not limiting it“.
“Management of the Noosa River involves a number of stakeholders working collaboratively to address complex issues that surround the environmental, cultural, commercial and recreational elements of the river,“ Ms Rawlings responded.
“The river is a dynamic system where actions and impacts need to be considered in an interrelated manner, rather than in isolation. Examples of this include riparian vegetation impact and bank erosion caused by excessive boat wash, downstream public health issues from illegal waste discharge and altered flood regimes from increased system siltation from the upper catchment.
“Catchment Management requires collaboration and working together to manage interrelated issues. There are multiple agencies with varying responsibilities across the river, many of which have interrelationships with others both in terms of planning, regulation and management. Noosa Council will continue to have an advocacy, partnering and collaborative role with all key stakeholders to ensure the strategic goals of council and the community as articulated in key strategies are considered by stakeholders and various agencies when making decisions and reviewing current activities.
“Council will continue to work closely with and have an advocacy role with MSQ to ensure there is safe and equitable access for all users of the river, whilst ensuring the environmental values of the river and catchment are maintained.“
