Queanbeyan River Riparian Corridor Strategy
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QUEANBEYAN RIVER RIPARIAN CORRIDOR STRATEGY Prepared for Queanbeyan City Council Adopted by Council 14 March 2012 Queanbeyan River Riparian Corridor Strategy DOCUMENT TRACKING ITEM DETAIL Queanbeyan River Corridor Plan of Management and Platypus Awareness and Conservation Project Name Strategy Project Number 11SUTPLA-0001 G:\Synergy\Projects\11SUTPLA\11SUTPLA-0001 Queanbeyan River Corridor Plan of File location Management\Report Kathryn Korbel, Jo Daly and Ian Dixon – Eco Logical Australia Prepared by Geoff Williams and Melody Serena – Australian Platypus Conservancy Approved by Beth Medway – Eco Logical Australia Status Final Version Number 4 Last saved on 24 February 2012 From top left: Platypus; early morning walk over tributary crossing; flooding Dec 2010; Cover photos Queanbeyan regatta This report should be cited as ‘Eco Logical Australia 2012. Queanbeyan River Corridor Plan of Management incorporating the Platypus Awareness and Conservation Strategy. Prepared for Queanbeyan City Council.’ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This document has been prepared by Eco Logical Australia Pty Ltd with support from the Australian Platypus Conservancy, ACT Waterwatch and Queanbeyan City Council. Funding for this project has been provided through the Australian Government’s ‘Water for the Future’ initiative and the ‘Strengthening Basin Communities’ program. Disclaimer This document may only be used for the purpose for which it was commissioned and in accordance with the contract between Eco Logical Australia Pty Ltd and Queanbeyan City Council. The scope of services was defined in consultation with Queanbeyan City Council, by time and budgetary constraints imposed by the client, and the availability of reports and other data on the subject area. Changes to available information, legislation and schedules are made on an ongoing basis and readers should obtain up to date information. Eco Logical Australia Pty Ltd accepts no liability or responsibility whatsoever for or in respect of any use of or reliance upon this report and its supporting material by any third party. Information provided is not intended to be a substitute for site specific assessment or legal advice in relation to any matter. Unauthorised use of this report in any form is prohibited. © ECO LOGICAL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD i Queanbeyan River Riparian Corridor Strategy Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... vi 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Need for a new plan ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Study area .................................................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Study process and consultation.................................................................................................... 5 2 Legislative and planning framework ........................................................................................ 7 2.1 Commonwealth legislation ............................................................................................................ 7 2.2 NSW legislation ............................................................................................................................ 7 2.3 Local plans and policies ............................................................................................................. 11 2.4 Other plans and policies ............................................................................................................. 13 3 History and features of the corridor ....................................................................................... 15 3.1 Climate ........................................................................................................................................ 15 3.2 Geology and soils ....................................................................................................................... 15 3.3 Heritage ...................................................................................................................................... 17 3.3.1 Indigenous history ...................................................................................................................... 17 3.3.2 Early settlement .......................................................................................................................... 17 3.4 Water management .................................................................................................................... 18 3.4.1 Weirs and dams .......................................................................................................................... 18 3.4.2 Water licences ............................................................................................................................ 20 3.4.3 Stormwater and sewer ................................................................................................................ 20 3.4.4 Flooding and drought .................................................................................................................. 21 3.4.5 Water quality ............................................................................................................................... 22 3.5 Ecology ....................................................................................................................................... 22 3.5.1 Vegetation communities ............................................................................................................. 23 3.5.2 Iconic fauna ................................................................................................................................ 26 3.5.3 Threatened species .................................................................................................................... 26 3.5.4 Key threatening processes ......................................................................................................... 27 3.5.5 Recovery planning ...................................................................................................................... 28 3.5.6 Recent recovery effort ................................................................................................................ 28 3.6 Bushfires ..................................................................................................................................... 31 3.7 Recreation and access ............................................................................................................... 31 3.8 Caravan park .............................................................................................................................. 35 © ECO LOGICAL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD ii Queanbeyan River Riparian Corridor Strategy 3.8.1 Current status and management ................................................................................................ 35 3.8.2 Lessee’s strategy ........................................................................................................................ 36 3.8.3 Future use of the site .................................................................................................................. 37 3.9 Future development .................................................................................................................... 37 3.10 Community engagement ............................................................................................................ 37 3.11 Summary of management issues and opportunities .................................................................. 38 4 Strategic framework ................................................................................................................. 39 4.1 Vision .......................................................................................................................................... 39 4.2 Objectives ................................................................................................................................... 39 4.2.1 Land management objectives ..................................................................................................... 39 4.2.2 Aquatic objectives ....................................................................................................................... 42 4.3 Priorities ...................................................................................................................................... 42 4.4 Actions, costs and performance measures ................................................................................ 42 5 Implementation ......................................................................................................................... 55 5.1 Funding and resources ............................................................................................................... 57 5.2 Leases and licensing .................................................................................................................. 58 5.3 Approvals ...................................................................................................................................