By DARRYN SMITH
MEMBER for Noosa Glen Elmes says he has had enough of the unseaworthy and hazardous boats polluting Noosa River, pledging to clean up the mess if re-elected at the coming State Election.
On taking a boat ride along the Noosa River it is easy to see why thousands of tourists and locals are attracted to it.
However between the million dollar catamarans and runabouts, and hidden within the mangroves, rest dozens of rusted and unloved vessels.
“If an LNP government is returned to office on 31 January 2015, we will provide a sum of $2 million to be drawn down progressively in co-operation with Noosa Council, to rid the river of this difficult problem,” Mr Elmes said.
Noosa yacht and rowing club sailing manager Paul Blundell has been using the river for the past 11 years and says there are dozens of deserted vessels between Woods Bay and Lake Cootharaba, some of which have not moved in years.
Mr Blundell said vessels in the river should have a current marine survey to ensure they were seaworthy, as unseaworthy vessels could potentially leak contaminants into the river and could come adrift under certain tidal conditions, leading to possible collisions with other vessels.
According to Mr Blundell, the owners of the deserted vessels should be held accountable for any damage to other vessels and if necessary pay for removal from the river.
But Mr Elmes said the difficulty lay in finding the owner of the rotting boats.
“If you do find an owner you have to convince them they need to repair it or get it off the river or if you can be assured there is no owner, we need to get it off the river,” Mr Elmes said.
“The removal of hazardous vessels from Noosa River will be a slow and expensive process that needs the inclusion of local government.”
Councillor Sandy Bolton said she was behind Mr Elmes’ plan to clean-up the Noosa River and felt the removal of deserted houseboats would be a fantastic outcome for the community.
