Environmental
All elements of North Harbour showcase world’s best practice in environmentally sustainable development. Initiatives include:
- Rehabilitation of approximately 9km of riparian zone along the Caboolture River frontage including koala habitat restoration
- Re-establishment of wetlands and stormwater management investment of $18m
- Establishment of an ongoing fund to manage downstream river bank erosion and rehabilitation in perpetuity
- Replanting of disturbed mangroves and marine plants
- Development of marine environment education programs for
marina users - Water reuse and recycling of up to 9 million litres of treated effluent currently being discharged into the Caboolture River
- Creation of vegetation buffer zones along the river and creek ways
- Confirmation of design guidelines to ensure that the initial environmental principles remain in place for the project’s life
- Public transport support including a network of business, cycling and walking tracks
The approach taken by the proponent, Northeast Business Park, has received strong support by an international expert in industrial ecology, Ernest Lowe. Read more about industrial ecology, including Mr Lowe’s statement on North Harbour.
Northeast Business Park has established an ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, water quality and safe and responsible marina management through the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) phase of the project.
Environmental sustainability
Detailed studies have been undertaken through the EIS phase and are all fully accessible to the public online.
To prepare the EIS in accordance with the Coordinator-General’s requirements, extensive studies and site management plans have been undertaken including:
- Acid Sulfate Soil Management Plan
- Air Quality Assessment
- Aquatic Ecology Assessment
- Bushfire Assessment Report
- Caboolture River Siltation Study
- Caboolture Waterways Soils and Water Quality Management Study
- Construction Environmental Management Plan
- Cultural Heritage Management Plan
- Dredging Site Based Management Plan
- Energy Report
- Flood Study
- Good Quality Agricultural Land Assessment
- Groundwater Impact Assessment
- Indigenous Cultural Heritage Studies
- Matters of National Environmental Significance
- Noise Impact Assessment
- Riverbank Erosion Assessment
- Scenic Quality and Visual Impact Report
- Stormwater Management Plan
- Terrestrial Ecology Assessment
- Waste Management Technical Report
- Water Supply and Sewerage Systems Report
A major three-year environmental rehabilitation program with respected national environmental group Greening Australia has already been signed. This will invest more than $600,000 on the first 90 hectares of rehabilitation - recent news.
Water quality
The environmental monitoring proposed for North Harbour goes beyond projects of a similar scope according to the Preliminary Environmental Monitoring Program developed for the Supplementary EIS. Northeast Business Park is committed to improving the quality of the Caboolture River through sustainable land use practices and best practice marine management. This includes a rigorous plan to manage the necessary dredging of the navigation channel. According to the Regional Harbour Master (Maritime Safety Queensland), the dredging proposed for the project will:
- Improve navigational safety
- Allow a wider range of commercial and recreational vessels to use the river safely both day and night
- Provide safe and secure mooring facility in close access to Moreton Bay
- Relieve some congestion issues for other marinas and boat harbours around Moreton Bay
- Improve natural waterflow
- Benefit marine industries such as boat building, repairs and maintenance because of the access for larger deeper vessels
- Result in easier and mush faster response times for entities responsible for emergency response and enforcement
Dredging will be carefully managed through a Construction Environmental Management Plan with independent studies showing that the water quality will ultimately improve.
Safe and responsible marina management
To ensure the continued maintenance and improvement of the waterways around North Harbour, a GREEN levy will be established to provide for ongoing ecological study and river management as well as community education programs.
The marina will also comply with the Australian Marine Industry Association Clean Marinas and Gold Anchors programs which set the benchmarks for world’s best practice in the environmental management of marinas.
