APPENDIX 2
Outcomes from Community Forums at Elleker, Torbay and Redmond
June 2002

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Water extraction
Water extraction	Planning required
Bore water quality
Need to maintain flows in Marbellup Brook
Nutrients
Nutrient runoff into waterways	Trial application of zeolites along riparian corridors
Water quality not appropriate for irrigating natives/wildflower due to high nutrient levels	New farming practices eg. use of Allrock Increase micro-organisms in the soil
Fertiliser use - need to apply to get pasture growth - don't want to be stopped from applying fertiliser	Apply minimum - soon after season breaks eg. 90lb/acre for hay, 60lb/acre for pasture
Finger being pointed to piggeries/dairies etc. BUT this is an agricultural catchment where nutrients are a critical input. These industries provide employment and economic income	Test nutrients coming off specific land uses Test amount of nutrients used by pasture species eg. kikuyu Provide information to landholders on best practice nutrient reduction and improving productivity Subsidies to implement best management practices Demonstration sites targeted to new practices Claying sandy soils
Nutrient loss from farmland and low Fe soils	Education, soil testing, perennials
Accurate information to target hotspots not available	Make information accessible to the public and promote discussion
High nutrient levels in waterbodies eg. pool in waterways with high N levels	Trial zeolite application to take out N from water column Will allow slow release for plant use. Macrophytes (eg. pond biofilter) will use N off the zeolite. Zeolite flocculant into water, then add microbes to break down algae blooms
Horticulture around lake Powell	Protect existing trees by fencing Paperbarks Industry guidelines Compliance
Point sources	Stream restoration and revegetation (don't use wire tree guards)
Alternative lifestyle people moving into the catchment - additional effluent from small blocks	Controls/planning guidelines for sub-division in Elleker - city rural planning strategy Self contained on-site effluent systems
Stocking rates influences by finance
Drainage system
Management of lower drainage district - nutrients and water levels and volumes affect a range of issues	Develop a management plan including how the new plan differs from the current management Redesign the three levels of drainage Dredging Open Lake Manarup back into the system
Pressure to maintain drainage due to urban encroachment	Purchase properties in low lying areas and remove plugs to re-instate free flow toward more natural flow system
Deep drains	Restore back to creeks eg. Unndiup Creek Reinstall ponds, meanders, replant wetlands to reduce algae
Water quality of North Creek drain bridge, siltation, nutrients	Reduce algal blooms Flushing to increase the flow
Drainage system delivering water too fast - nutrients get into drains too quickly	Education and awareness Sluice gates/flow control structures
Drainage management	Drainage design - wetlands, rehabilitate swamps, straight in some places and meandering in others, use natural swamps where possible
Weeds and ferals
Blackberries on watercourses and other weeds
Weeds - watsonia, taylorina	Two way action needed to delete weeds but replant with suitable native vegetation
Weeds	Map weed infestations and develop weed management program
Taylorina, weed invasion in fenced areas, blackberries. Watsonia spreading, burning increases watsonia growth. Wild cherry (tree) is spreading via birds through the bush	Water Corporation sprays watsonia along water reserves Important to revegetate with natives after weed control
Weeds - watsonia, taylorina, blackberry, arum lilly	Map weed hotspots Appropriate management program environmentally friendly on going vigilance
Council roadside drain management is spreading weeds	Education about proper disposal of overburden
Foxes especially in bluegums, emus
More foxes, rabbits with bluegum plantations they provide habitat for vermin	Vermin control or less plantations
Vermin - foxes, rabbits, cats
Foxes especially on shire land, cats, domestic ducks
Chemicals
Chemical wash-off from bluegums
Chemical sprays from bluegums - effect of overspray on waterways and aquaculture	Waterways and aquaculture etc. need protection from sprays We need more information about the damage sprays do to waterways, effect of the sprays on the operators, children, neighbours, animals and how plantations are sprayed Also chemical levels in beef cattle
Algae
Smell off Lake Powell (also public health issue)	Reduce nutrient inputs Phoslock treatment
Lake Powell - nutrients, smells, algae, impact on environment
Nutrients into lakes and inlet	Compare anecdotal evidence with scientific information particularly information from more than 50 years ago
Reduced water levels in Lake Powell - reduced flushing and increased blooms	Dredge out Lake Powell and Manarup to provide more compensating capacity
Bar opening
Bar opening impact on whiting and other marine species - influx of cold water
Bar opening - impact on blooms
Bar openings for potato farms
Fish stocks
Trout in creeks preying on marron
Water quality at Inlet mouth ruins fishing - can't eat the catch
Fish numbers and species not like they used to be - don't catch Murray cod any more
Nutrient discharge to the ocean - environmental and industry effects
Laws/regulations re nutrient pollution need to be stronger
Lake Manarup was let to dry this year (breeding area for mullet)
Waterways
Instability of creek banks	Fence all creeks - should be heavily subsidised especially labour
Erosion on watercourses and banks
Riparian degradation	Target most degraded riparian areas and provide incentives to restore these areas
Lack of information about what goes into creeks	Monitoring of creeklines with information updated regularly
General water quality of creeks	Eliminate aerial spraying Fence all creeks - should be heavily subsidised especially labour Zeolite and microbes for riparian areas Community awareness program about the effects of fertiliser practices especially for hobby farmers
Use of creeks for recreation - swimming, marroning
Access for marroning potential to damage creeks
People do not know what is in the water and what the impact of their land uses is	Need to have district monitoring and a monitoring centre so people can get an idea of what is in their creeks
Vegetation
Some creeks have no native vegetation	Fence and revegetate or grass with perennial pastures eg. kikuyu to stop erosion
Native vegetation dying through lack of fencing
Lack of vegetation along creeks	Fund fencing, plant vegetation, plant to attract birdlife
Condition of native vegetation	Fence off native vegetation - seek funding opportunities
Clearing of native vegetation	Compensation
Need broadscale revegetation, not individual trees	Revegetate with native plant species and return fauna to increase tourism
Overclearing of land	Approach farmers to replant Quality control system to encourage revegetation
Clearing of hill tops for residences (planning issue)
Fires leading to erosion
Surface water management
Surface water on farmland	Better perennials, combination with alternative grasses Surface drainage and deep ripping
Speed of water flow off land	Wetlands, dams to slow flow Flood/sluice gates on creek systems to control flows and hold water back
Salinity
Salinity?
Increasing salt levels in creeks when low flow
Lowering the groundwater tables is good for salt but not for nutrients
Acidity
Soil acidity	Education, soil testing, perennials
Land use changes
Significant land use change in a short time period (eg. <5 years)
Bluegums are a monoculture with no understorey - more nutrients running off from bluegums - bluegums plantations taking up valuable agricultural land	Planning controls needed regarding location of plantations
Urban impacts
Urban pollution	Strategic revegetation Rivers of green Rationalise the width of the drain reserve Buffer zones for development

SOCIAL/ECONOMIC ISSUES	POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Land use changes
Not enough profit from all farming - viability of farming	Better management, direct selling, quality control
Viability of fisheries threatened estuaries are fish nurseries
Property values are affected by management uncertainty
Nutrient hotspot areas (piggeries, dairies etc.) are also high economic production areas therefore can't shut them down or make them feel guilty	Soil PRI tests, more waterways and groundwater monitoring to see how much is going down the creeks Perennial pastures to use up nutrients
Nutrient runoff = money down the drain	Implement methods to hold fertiliser on the property
If farmers had more money - more implementation of Landcare	Tax incentives, rates incentives, investigate carbon credits Developing walks along creeks to attract tourists, birdlife Promote bird watching to increase awareness and tourists and encourage bird watching and publicise and promote bird diversity
Fencing takes land out from production	Need spinoffs from fencing and incentives such as reduced rates, compensation for land Identify watering points and options, and alternative uses/water sources
You lose grazing land if you fence creeklines
Landuses - considering people's incomes (machinery, dairy etc.) is it economically viable for them (or with assistance) to implement improvements?
We don't have strategies to deal with potential displacement of landuses identified as hotspots	Develop multiple strategies with all factors considered Develop economic incentives Need to look 50 years ahead
Lack of farm income means lack of jobs, trees are replacing traditional agriculture
Rivers of green may improve social and economic values	Education and awareness of the benefits of rivers of greens Tackle vermin and fire
We haven't identified how to recycle /reuse nutrients in our catchment	Education and promotion of viable fertiliser alternatives
Absentee landholders
Increasing number of alternative lifestyle residents who don't understand problems or agriculture and may not have skills in land management
More people moving to the district - don't understand farming eg. selling and buying weeds at market days	Need more education/information from contact people in the district eg. on drainage system and weeds Lots of local people have good information to provide to newcomers Distribute Green Skills list of local plants Use the Newsletter to provide this information eg. land management Use "Buddy up" for newcomers
Community strengths
Redmond Progress Association dying
Fire control - lack of community involvement in fire brigade
Lack of community interest in the project is a lost opportunity for the community to revitalise	Encourage 'world class' speakers to come and provide inspiration Incorporate 'social' opportunities into volunteer days, forms etc. eg. sausage sizzle Make sure work is 'visible' to encourage others eg. watsonia control on lower road School children involvement - other schools besides Woodbury Boston ie. Lockyer is school for this catchment and NASHS, have speakers at P&C meetings on the project Publicise the ways people can help with tear off strip and using the website What are the needs of the project List of people skills
Planning issues
Mining/industry impacts	Protest and ban
Planning issues including proposed quarry, environmental and social issues, Elleker - blocks in swamp areas
Gravel vs bitumen roads (positives and negatives for each)
Other values need to be considered (recreation) in planning and design
Changes in landuse and subdivisions	Buy inappropriate land uses out
Behavioural change
Do we have credible change agents/leaders who can influence behavioural change?	Look for change agents/leaders - find ways to support/reward them
Socialisation of Torbay project needed
Belief that creeklines have 'always been like that' (bare of vegetation)	Education, native revegetation looks great!
People don't like being told how to manage their land	Education
Resentment
Better information for residents needed
Competing land uses
Bar opening - fishermen vs spud farmers
Motorbikes/4WD damaging native vegetation, firebreaks
Health
Health risk at Torbay Inlet during algal blooms
Community facilities
Bluegum plantations reduce local population including number of children on school buses	Subdivision of home block from plantations to retain/attract families
Shift in population with loss of community facilities from plantations, loss of volunteers
Present lifestyle could be at risk
Recreation values less than they used to be