Brisbane Water Plan of Management - Gosford City Council - NSW ...

D
BACKGROUND OF THE PREPARATION OF THE PLAN OF MANAGEMENT
(i) Scope of the Work in Stage 1
At the initial meetings of the Steering Committee, extensive discussion was held to define
where any work should begin and end as part of the management plan. For example, if
the Committee discussed the future of fisheries or the oyster industry it came to the issue
of water quality which inturn, related to the whole of the activities of the catchment.
When the Committee began to consider what factors contributed from the catchment, it
became clear that the landuse patterns of agriculture, industry, residential and
commercial developments, had major impacts on the estuary. As a result, the Steering
Committee realised there was an overlap with the proposed Gosford Catchment
Management Committee and that the overlap could not be resolved until the Catchment
Management Committee was appointed and the Brisbane Water Plan of Management
Committee could interact with that Committee to resolve these catchment based
problems.
It was also realised that there were many issues that did not relate directly to water
quality. The aesthetic issues relating to jetties and waterfront structures, the recreational
usage of the waterways for fishing and boating and other pursuits whilst affecting the
estuary, could generally be discussed prior to the catchment issues being resolved.
There was extensive foreshore erosion occurring due to the wash from vessels and the
wave attack from natural wind and wave effect which needed resolution. There were the
matters of marking and definition of the channels and their depth and possible siltation.
Whilst the siltation appeared to be a catchment based issue, the measurement and
checking of any changes since the 1901 work was carried out could be carried out prior to
the Catchment Management Committee's work. It was also determined that there was no
need to wait for the establishment of the Catchment Management Committee to
determine; which areas of sensitive wetlands and foreshore areas around Brisbane
Waters should be identified for conservation, and the areas that were valuable to wading
birds and birdlife and fingerling fish and biological diversity. These could all be identified
prior to going to the Catchment Management Phase.
The mooring of vessels and setting aside of maintenance areas and the like and the
usage of the clubs and recreation areas around the waterway were also not of a matter
that depended on the management of the catchment of Brisbane Water. The Steering
Committee adopted as the work in Stage 1 the issues that could be examined without
impacting upon the broader issues of catchment management and agreed that these
issues be included in the Stage 1 work of the Committee.
(ii)
Formation of the Brisbane Water Plan of Management and Catchment Management
Committee
Following the Steering Committee's work, Council resolved to advertise for interested
community representatives to form the Brisbane Water Plan of Management Committee
and a Committee was appointed by the Council on 10 March 1992 under Minute No
167/92.
The role of the Committee is to oversee the preparation of the Brisbane Water Plan of
Management and to generally provide advice to Council on planning policy matters
associated with the use and management of Brisbane Water and its foreshores.
The Committee consists of the following representatives;
Brisbane Water Plan of Management - July 1995
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