Eurobodalla
Issue: Resource Use
This issue is discussed for these areas: [an error occurred while processing this directive]
See these indicator results for more detail:
Drinking Water Quality | Hazardous Waste | Heritage | Noise | Population | Solid Waste | Water Use
In the 2004 Regional State of the Environment Report (RSoER) two issues papers covered community wellbeing and resource use for each local government area. Previous ’Community Wellbeing‘ indicators have been dropped following a decision by the RSOER workshop in July 2007 as these indicators are now covered in the Shire 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 each local Government State of the Environment Report.
What changes took place during the reporting period?
- Strongly affected by drought with extensive use of water restrictions
- Drinking water quality consistently of a high standard.
- Population is growing slowly in number and ageing slowly
- The main noise complaint problems were in relation to barking dogs
- Policy of zero waste to landfill by 2015 -considerable progress is being made in reducing the amount of waste per household and increasing the amount recovered for recycling
- Some change to the listed heritage estate.
| 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
Data are available for Eurowater, the overall Shire drinking water supply, and for the independent sources forming the supply. These are drawn from the Buckenboura River, Deep Creek Dam, Dromedary Weir, Moruya River and Tuross River. Deep Creek Dam, Buckenboura River and Moruya River supply water to the whole Shire, the Tuross River supplies water to Narooma and the villages south including Bodalla, and Dromedary Weir supplies drinking water to Central Tilba. The population supplied is 34,660, with the largest numbers in Batemans Bay (10,200) Narooma (4,300) and Moruya (3,300).
The only water supply reservoir in the system is Deep Creek Dam, which is off-river storage with no catchment, located near Batemans Bay. The other water sources are direct from rivers and the Dromedary Weir of 3 ML. Deep Creek Dam has a storage capacity of 4,900 ML. The NSW Government licenses the overall quantity of extraction.
This coastal area is vulnerable to droughts, though in most years the rainfall is adequate to ensure a water supply without restrictions. During the peak of the recent drought the Deep Creek storage fell to a minimum of about 50% of capacity.
The imposition of water restrictions reduced domestic use by 38% over the years 2002 to 2007. Commercial use also fell over the last four years by about 50%.
Demand on this system fluctuates with season and rainfall, an increased demand being in summer with the much larger population of holidaymakers.
The Shire water supply was of consistently good quality, with negligible microbial contamination. There was a higher alkalinity than ideal in some samples, and also some samples showed raised iron concentrations. Neither of these minor elevations have any adverse health significance.
Population
Eurobodalla Shire continued to experience a small increase in population growth. According to the 2006 Census there were 36,595 residents in the Shire with an estimated 36,771 in 2007. Since the end of the previous State of the Environment Reporting period, the population of the Shire is estimated to have increased by 1.1% or 960 persons.
Compared with NSW as a whole, Eurobodalla Shire has a higher aged population, a slightly higher Indigenous population and a small increase in the proportion of persons born overseas which concords with a gradual increase for the State
Noise
Barking dogs appeared to be the major source of noise as they were in the 2004 Report, with just under one thousand complaints over this four year period. However it should be noted that the increased numbers is in part due to some natural increases in the number of barking dogs but it is also due to information system problems.
The other key noise issues for the Shire Council were general non specified noise complaints that included amplified music, pool pumps, rave parties, noises from supermarket loading docks and plant rooms and in 2007/2008 noise from a local asphalt plant that operated outside its licence hours. The Shire Council health surveyors investigated all formal complaints however statistics have not been kept on the mechanisms for resolution or time spent on noise issues
The Shire Council undertake noise monitoring at a rave party and also at various residences in relation to complaints over air conditioning units and pool pumps.
Reducing solid waste
In 2001 the Shire Council commenced a waste minimisation strategy. It has adopted a policy of zero waste to landfill by 2015, with a milestone of 90% waste reduction by 2011. While the targets are ‘aspirational’ and are being reviewed to make them more realistic and achievable, considerable progress is being made in reducing the amount of waste per household and increasing the amount recovered for recycling. The Shire Council is also improving how it collects waste-related data.
The community is supporting the Shire Council’s initiatives, with waste to landfill falling by some 21% in the reporting period (despite steady population growth), while the amount of recyclables recovered increased by 59%.
Heritage
Changes to the listed heritage estate for Eurobodalla Shire over the past four years show that 1 place has been added to the Commonwealth Heritage List (Montague Island Lighthouse) No places have been added to the Register of the National Estate, or to the NSW Heritage register, two places have been removed from the s. 170 heritage list of NSW Government departments and agencies (Montague Island Lighthouse and the Narooma Bridge).
104 places have been added to the Eurobodalla Local Environment Plan.
No listed Aboriginal Cultural Heritage sites in the Eurobodalla Shire Council area however Council supports the operations of the Eurobodalla Aboriginal Heritage Committee. This committee has been operating for over four years and is made up of representatives from six Local Aboriginal Land Councils, Aboriginal Elders, Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (SRCMA), DECC and Eurobodalla Shire Council.
No information is available on the condition of heritage sites during the reporting period and little information on condition prior to the reporting period either. The condition of many sites has not been updated since they were listed on the Register of the National Estate.
The future what does this mean for the Council?
For water
The drinking water supply appears adequate at the present, but the predicted effect of climate change is to reduce the rainfall in South Eastern Australia. This may result in more periods of water restrictions and the long-term need to plan for increased drinking water resources, especially as population increases.
Good consistency data collection should be continued to ensure that direct comparisons on water quality between differing reporting periods can be continued.
For population
Along with many other jurisdictions in Australia, Eurobodalla Shire Council will need to consider the impacts of an ageing population on its economy, and infrastructure. The composition of households has continued the trend noted in the 2004 report with a further reduction in the number of households comprising couples with children and a consequent increase in couples without children and also lone person households. Eurobodalla’s Community Plan is committed to addressing these issues.
For noise
The Shire Council may wish to consider developing a system for keeping statistics on mechanisms for resolution or time taken by staff on resolving these noise issues. These statistics could assist the Shire Council in further planning for resolving noise complaints especially with regard to time management and resources outcomes.
For waste management
Recent capital investments in waste infrastructure is expected to further reduce the volumes of waste going to landfill, and advance the aims of the Shire Council’s waste minimisation strategy. The Shire Council is currently reviewing its waste minimisation goals, to make them more realistic and achievable.
For heritage
No information is available on the condition of heritage sites during the reporting period and little information on condition prior to the reporting period either. It would be beneficial for the Shire Council to address these gaps to develop a future benchmark from which to work.
