Minutes of Belongil Catchment Advisory Committee Meeting

BYRON SHIRE COUNCIL

Belongil Catchment Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes 30 May 2016

Minutes of the Belongil Catchment Advisory Committee Meeting held on Monday, 30 May 2016

File No: I2016/590

PRESENT: Cr D Dey, Cr A Hunter

Staff: Phillip Holloway (Director)

Peter Rees (Manager Utilities)

James Flockton (Flood and Drainage Engineer)

Helen Waldron (Minute Taker)

Jessica Huxley (Hydroscience)

Mark Bayley (Australian Wetlands Consulting) (Item 5.2 only)

Community Representatives: Col Draper, Raemon McEwen, Tim Hochgrebe, Tony Flick, John Flick, Mary Garner

Cr Dey (Chair) opened the meeting at 9.09 am and acknowledged that the meeting was being held on Bundjalung Country.

Apologies:

Cr S Richardson (Mayor)

Declarations of Interest – Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary

There were no new declarations of interest.

Adoption of Minutes from Previous Meetings

Committee Recommendation:

That the minutes of the Belongil Catchment Advisory Committee Meeting held on 18 April 2016 be confirmed.

(Dey/Hunter)

The recommendation was put to the vote and declared carried.

Business Arising from Previous Minutes

There was no business arising from previous minutes.

Staff Reports - Infrastructure Services

Report No. 5.1 Belongil Catchment Management Plan Review of Actions

File No: I2016/522

Committee Recommendation:

1. That Council develop and implement a water monitoring programme for the Belongil Catchment incorporating:

a) Actions 1, 3, 6, 9, 11, 22, 51, 55, 82, 96, 130, 131, 133, 135, 139, 144 as listed in Attachment 2 to today's Report 5.1.

b) invitations to relevant local academic institutions such as Southern Cross University to support and add via student and academic projects.

2. That Council receive reports via its Belongil Catchment Advisory Committee on the following:

a) a detailed communication and education plan based on the Plans and Strategies listed in section 2 ‘Purpose’ of this Committee's Constitution and on combining Water, Sewer and Stormwater functions.

b) a design for the Butler Street drain incorporating a natural channel shape and route, plus a wetlands filter system.

c) a project plan for the Butler Street drainage upgrade, that work to coincide with the Byron Bay Bypass project.

3. That Council notes Actions 29, 31, 32, 51, 80 listed in Attachment 2 to Report 5.1 in Committee Agenda for 30 May 2016 and receive a report via this Committee's next meeting on the opening strategy for the Belongil Estuary including:

a) DPI Water advice, preferably in person, at the Committee meeting;

b) copies of:

(i) the "Belongil Estuary Mouth Opening Plan"

(ii) the Review of Environmental Factors of 2005

(iii) the current License in force until 2022

(iv) six-monthly monitoring reports to date "Byron Estuary Entrance Management Report"

4. That the Committee receive a report at its next meeting on the status of actions 5, 16 – 20, 25, 26, 29, 38 – 41, 43, 49 - 52, 147 – 154, as listed in Attachment 2 to today's Report 5.1.

(Dey/Hunter)

The recommendation was put to the vote and declared carried.

Report No. 5.2 Data Collection Belongil Drains Technical Note 4

File No: I2016/539

Committee Recommendation:

1. That the Committee note the report.

2. That the data logging programme in the Belongil drains is continued.

3. That Council instruct the operator collecting this data to check logger function monthly, so that malfunctions leading to loss of many months of data are avoided.

4. That survey is undertaken to determine the height to AHD of bores and hence new loggers 7 and 8.

5. Council investigate the costs and benefits of conducting a sewage effluent tracer study (stable isotopes or other appropriate method) to 'map' its flow through the upper Belongil catchment.

(Dey/Hunter)

The recommendation was put to the vote and declared carried.

Report No. 5.3 Proposed Belongil Catchment Water Quality Test Programme

File No: I2016/540

Committee Recommendation:

That Council undertake water quality sampling as follows for a period of 12 months, to be reviewed before it ends so that continuity is not broken:

1. dry weather sampling monthly

2. event sampling as soon as possible after rain and flow commence, then daily during major events (especially after extended dry weather) down to a flow level to be determined, not exceeding 20 sample days per year

3. consideration of further sites at Clarkes Beach Lagoon, Clarkes Beach at the Cowper Street drain and Bangalow Road between Cooper and Mackay Streets

4. consideration of permanent loggers at key points

5. consideration of ‘citizen sampling’ data

(Dey/Gardner)

The recommendation was put to the vote and declared carried.

Report No. 5.4 Belongil Swamp Drainage Union Issues

File No: I2016/541

Committee Recommendation:

1. That the Committee note the report.

2. That the letter at Attachment 1 to the Agenda (E2016/27767) be amended as follows and issued as Resolved by Council on 19 May (Resolution 16-247) so that the meeting can take place in June 2016:

a) in the first paragraph, change the last clause to "... and is therefore not operating in accordance with its obligations"

b) in the third paragraph, advise the source of the "purpose" cited

(Dey/McEwen)

The recommendation was put to the vote and declared carried.

There being no further business the meeting concluded at 11.10 am.

Venue	Cavanbah Centre, Ewingsdale Road, Byron Bay
Date	Monday, 30 May 2016
Time	9.00am