Riparian Restoration
TWEED RIPARIAN RESTORATION PRIORITISATION REPORT
Within this Report, of the 6 subcatchments of the Tweed, 86 sites were surveyed & ranked. The Byrrill Creek area ranked the highest in Conservation Value with an average 70% and Diversity of 79%. Within the top 10 high priority sites, 5 are in the Byrrill Creek catchment. Most of these sites will be affected by the proposed dam site. Of particular concern is Site Rank 4, which is located right at the dam wall construction site. Site Rank 1, (highest priority site within the Tweed Shire) is 800 metres below the Dam wall site and would be severely affected by reduced water flows of the dam upstream. A further 4 sites downstream would not be as severely affected, as Cedar Creek would provide extra water flow. However, the whole riverine eco system of Byrrill Creek would be affected by the proposed dam.
NORTHERN RIVERS CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY:
Byrrill Creek Riparian Project Summary as of 3 Dec 2010
Name |
Year |
Project value |
Area of Works |
Funding source |
Targets |
Contact |
Subcatchment Plan development |
05-06 |
$30,000 |
80% of properties adjoining creeks |
NRCMA |
CAP MT W1 State 1,2,3,4,5,12,13 |
A. Short |
Implementation of Subcatchment Plan |
06-09 |
$100,000 |
Various sites along Byrrill Ck |
TSC Environmental Trust |
CAP MT W1 State 1,2,3,4,5,12,13 |
A. Short |
Implementation of Subcatchment Plan |
08-11 |
$80,000 |
Various sites along Byrrill Ck |
TSC Environmental Trust |
CAP MT W1 State 1,2,3,4,5,12,13 |
A. Short |
Implementation of Subcatchment Plan |
06-09 |
Approx $100,000 |
Various sites along Byrrill Ck |
TSC matching funds (+inkind) |
CAP MT W1 State 1,2,3,4,5,12,13 |
A. Short |
NSW Coastal Vine weed Control Program |
08-09 |
$10,000 |
TSC landLot11DP778512 3.3km of weeds treated 3 times detailed survey of an additional 2.2km |
NRCMA |
CAP MT W1 CAP MT B3 CAP MT B5 CAP MT B6 State 1,2,3,4,5,12,13 |
D. Merrikan |
PAS project (threatened sp. recovery) |
09-10 |
$16,000 |
21ha Hooperman McInerny |
NRCMA |
CAP MT B4 State 1,2,3,4,5,12,13 |
J.Nagle |
Total value Not including community, TSC and CMA in-kind. |
$336,000 |
A small % of works has been carried out upstream of the proposed wall site. Tweed Shire Council land upstream of proposed dam wall site Lot11 DP778512 has a 5yr LMA lapsing on 15 Feb 2014
BYRRILL CREEK MASTER PLAN CONCLUSION
The Byrrill Creek Riparian Rehabilitation Plan consists of the master document and twenty seven (27) Individual Property Action Plans. This master document provides background information about the subcatchment, catchment vegetation description, a summary of plan outcomes, prioritisation and costings for potential work sites and a rehabilitation strategy to guide riparian restoration.
Preparation of this plan has extensively involved local landholders and the community. A total of 44 properties are located in the Byrrill Creek subcatchment. Six of the properties have no creek frontage. Three property owners have declined to participate. Six property owners have not responded to an invitation to participate. Negotiations are still underway with six property owners. Twenty-four landholders are participating in the Byrrill Creek Riparian Rehabilitation Plan.
Landholder and community awareness and understanding of the ecological values of Byrrill Creek, and threats to these values, have been increased. Community ownership of the plan and landholder commitment to implementation and maintenance of works has been fostered through involvement in plan preparation. Twenty-seven individual Property Action Plans have been prepared with participating landowners represent 74% of the total landowners who have frontage to Byrrill Creek, Cedar Creek, Kunghurloo Creek and Cabbage Tree Creek. A total of 19.37km (73%) of both banks of these creeks is included in the individual plans.
Site assessments included preparation of weed and native species lists, classification of the vegetation communities in the riparian zone, creek and bank condition, management issues, photopoints and ranking for conservation significance and rehabilitation potential. Individual Property Action Plans detail planned restoration works. A works program provides estimated costs and timeframes for implementation of restoration activities. A summary of individual plan outcomes, prioritisation and costings for work sites in presented in this document.
Property Action Plans include an indicative costing for the works program. Project works have been prioritised according to regeneration potential and conservation value. The Conservation Value and Level of Threat were given a rank and applied to each property. The rank with the highest Conservation Value and lowest level of threat were given the highest priority. Regeneration Potential was used to rank within each priority where two values were the same. This information provides a basis for future allocation of resources for implementation of rehabilitation works in the Byrrill Creek subcatchment.
The Byrrill Creek Riparian Rehabilitation Plan provides practical recommendations to protect and enhance high conservation value riparian areas along Byrrill Creek and tributaries. Implementation of the Plan will enhance the resilience and regenerative capacity of native vegetation and improve and maintain water quality in the subcatchment.