Bega Valley

Issue: Resource Use

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In the 2004 Regional State of the Environment Report (RSoER) two issues papers covered ‘Community Wellbeing’ and ‘Resource Use’ for each Council. Previous ’Community Wellbeing‘ indicators have not been reported on in this RSoER following a decision by the RSoER workshop in July 2007 as these indicators are now covered in the Council’s Social Plan .

Under the requirements of the New South Wales (NSW) Local Government Act 1993, reporting of ‘Heritage’ (both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) and ‘Noise’ is mandatory in state of the environment reports.

What changes took place during the reporting period in Bega Valley?

Continued limited use of water restrictions
Continued drinking water quality of a high standard
The Shire's population continued to grow in number and age
The main noise complaint problems were in relation to barking dogs
Good waste minimisation strategies are in place however efforts in the Shire are challenged by periodic influxes of holidaymakers who increase waste generation rates and may not be as effective at recycling as year round residents
Little change to the listed heritage estate

Table 1. General apparent emerging trends for Bega Valley Shire Council from the 2008 RSoER
Council Locations	Coastal Councils Eurobodalla Bega Valley	Alpine Councils Tumut Tumbarumba Snowy River Bombala Cooma/Monaro	Major Regional Centre Councils Queanbeyan Yass Goulburn/ Mulwaree	Inland Councils Young Boorowa Upper Lachlan Cootamundra Harden Gundagai Palerang
Population Size change	Increased population	Declining population	Increased population	Declined population
Population age change	Aging population	Aging population	Aging population	Aging population
Heritage	Spending on heritage programs	Spending on heritage programs	Spending on heritage programs	Spending on heritage programs
Noise	Main complaints - barking dogs. Improved noise compliance outcomes	Main complaints - barking dogs. Improved noise compliance outcomes	Main complaints - barking dogs. Improved noise compliance outcomes	Main complaints - barking dogs. Improved noise compliance outcomes
Waste	Good initiatives/ reduction strategies in place Improved data collection	Good initiatives/ reduction strategies in place	Good initiatives/ reduction strategies in place Improved data collection	Good initiatives/ reduction strategies in place
Water Quality	Consistent High Water Quality	Consistent High Water Quality	Consistent High Water Quality	Consistent High Water Quality
Water Availability	Higher potential evaporation Water restrictions	Higher potential evaporation Water restrictions	Higher potential evaporation Water restrictions	Higher potential evaporation Water restrictions

Source: The information in this table is collated from data supplied by Councils (collated by OCSE)

Water

Drinking water supply in the Bega Valley Shire is an extensive and complex system of reservoir supplies, river sources and bores. These are currently operated as four independent systems, however there is a current project to link the Bega Valley Shire supply to the Tantawanglo-Kiah system by pipeline which will provide operational flexibility and assist in meeting demand in the most limited part of the system.

The nine water supply systems that serve the Shire have supplied drinking water of an overall high standard during the reporting period. The drinking water quality requirements for chemical parameters, under the 2004 Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, were met in 100% of samples across the Shire except for aluminium, iron, pH, lead and True Colour. None of the exceedences represented a health risk. The 2004 national guidelines for microbiological quality—that no indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli and total coliforms) be found in any water sample—were met in 84% of the total coliform samples and 99% of E. coli samples from across the Shire during the reporting period. These results are down when compared to the previous reporting period. However, in the instances where such bacteria were recorded the appropriate response protocol was adopted to address the problem.

Population

Bega Valley Shire population continued to grow in number and age. According to the Census of 2006 there were 32,429 residents in the Shire, while at 30 June 2007 the estimated residential population was 32,655. Since the end of the previous RSoE reporting period (30 June 2004), the population of the Shire is estimated to have increased by 2.9% up to 2007, or 5% since the 2001 Census (using the 2007 estimate).

Compared with NSW, the Shire has a higher aged population, relatively high indigenous population and a small proportion of people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Noise

Barking dogs continued to be the major source of noise as they were in the 2004 RSoER. A total of 376 complaints were made over this four year period. Shire Council had the service of four rangers during the reporting period and a large percentage of their time was spent on dealing with companion animal management issues. In June 2007, the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) released a regulatory impact statement detailing proposed changes to the current noise control regulation. The current regulation’s main objective is to limit the amount of community noise in neighbourhoods. It applies to noise sources such as appliances, power tools, garden equipment, sound systems, musical instruments, motor vehicles and motor boats.

Reducing solid waste

Bega Valley Shire Council is guided by the 2001 Waste Minimisation and Resource Recovery Strategy in its waste management activities. The strategy sets a range of reduction targets to be achieved in the various waste streams by 2014. Bega Valley residents have access to a wide range of recycling options including kerbside recycling, recently introduced kerbside organics collection (trial), and recycling drop off points. This resulted in a diversion rate of 15% of the waste stream into recycling in 2008, although this may be a low figure as some data is unavailable. Waste minimisation efforts in the Shire are challenged by periodic influxes of holidaymakers who increase waste generation rates and may not be as effective at recycling as year round residents.

Heritage

Changes to the listed heritage estate for Bega Valley Shire over the past four years show that: no places have been added to the Register of the National Estate, no places have been added to the NSW Heritage register, and only one place has been added to the S. 170 Heritage List of NSW Government departments and agencies.

The future what does this mean for the Shire Council?

For water

There has been an extensive use of water restrictions which have had modest success in holding down demand in the recent drought. Major infrastructure development is in progress and planned, including drinking water treatment plants to meet future needs. Bega Valley Shire drinking water is of an overall high standard. Good consistent data collection should be continued to ensure that direct comparisons between water quality reporting periods can be continued.

For population

The Shire is under pressure to accommodate a growing population. Residents have been active in ensuring that the natural heritage values of the region are protected and managed sustainably in the push for further growth. The new developments close to Bega centre itself are a recent template to showcase more sustainable housing and mixed use developments following the NSW Government BASIX design code that promotes rainwater tanks, water efficient showerheads, taps and toilets, grey water systems, cross ventilation, good solar orientation, shading, ceiling fans, energy-efficient lighting, Insulation and native garden species

For noise

The Shire Council may wish to consider developing a system for keeping statistics on staff time spent on resolving noise issues. These statistics could assist Council in future planning efforts to resolve noise complaints especially with regard to time and resources management.

For waste management

Bega Valley Shire Council has recently refined its data collection techniques for its waste streams which will aid the Shire Council in compiling an accurate picture of progress towards its strategic targets. However data is still based on volume to weight conversion estimations as the Shire Council does not have a weighbridge at any of its facilities. Data accuracy could be improved by periodically taking some actual weight measurements of vehicles carrying different waste streams and using these as the basis for calculations. Accurate data will in turn give a clear picture of which areas of the waste stream. It is important for the Shire Council to focus efforts on achieveing further reductions in waste to landfill.

For heritage

No information is available on the condition of heritage sites during the reporting period and little on the condition prior to the reporting period. The condition of many sites has not been updated since they were listed on the Register of the National Estate. However The Shire Council spends between $30,000.00 and $35,000 a year (including grants) on heritage programs. Continued support of heritage programs is important.

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Regional State of the Environment Report 2008