Queanbeyan
Issue: Resource Use
This issue is discussed for these areas: [an error occurred while processing this directive]
For more infomation refer to teh following Indicators:
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 not been reported in this RSoER following a decision by the RSOER workshop in July 2007. 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 State of the environment reports.
What changes took place during the reporting period?
- Strongly affected by drought with extensive use of water restrictions
- Continued drinking water quality of a high standard.
- Population has reducing slowly in number but is expected to grow
- The main noise complaint problems were in relation to barking dogs
- Waste minimisation strategies have led to a 50% recycling rate including organics
- Change to the listed heritage estate and supportive heritage programs.
| 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
Queanbeyan City Council area water supply is provided through ACTEW, which supplies the whole of Canberra as well as Queanbeyan. Queanbeyan City Council area uses approximately 8% of the total use in the system and will benefit from the enhancements in progress for the overall capacity of the ACTEW system, as it will result in a lower level of restrictions on water use.
Both Canberra and Queanbeyan City Council area are subject to the same restrictions to water use, and both have policies in place to encourage domestic and commercial users to reduce water consumption. More than 30% reduction in use occurred over the last five years. Recycling of wastewater is low.
The City uses reticulated drinking water supplied by ACTEW, the supply utility for the Canberra area. The water is drawn from several supplies, depending on availability. The majority of the supply under normal rainfall conditions arises from the Cotter system, which consists of the Corin, Bendoora and Cotter reservoirs.
The other major storage is Googong reservoir, which during the recent drought has had low inflows from the rivers supplying the reservoir. To supplement the water availability in the Canberra/Queanbeyan supply, recent rebuilding of the Stromlo Water Treatment Plant has allowed water to be drawn directly from the Murrumbidgee River.
The Queanbeyan City Council area drinking water supply is of excellent and consistent quality
Population
The population of Queanbeyan City Council area remains relatively static with only a small percentage fall in growth observed. According to the 2006 Census there were 37,885 residents in the shire with an estimated 38,593 in 2007. Since the end of the previous SoER period, the population of the City Council area is estimated to have fallen by 1.8% or 2,315 persons.
Compared with NSW, Queanbeyan City Council has a younger population, a slightly higher Indigenous population and a small decrease in the proportion of persons born overseas which is in contract to the slight increase for the State as a whole.
Noise
Barking dogs and roosters continue to be a major source of noise complaints in Queanbeyan City Council area. In order to try and curb these trends a Keeping Animals Policy was adopted by the City Council in 2007. Statistical evidence suggests that noise complaints have dropped significantly since 2004 though this may not be necessarily the case. Reporting of dog noise complaints has not been consistent over the past four years and inaccurate records have maybe distorted the results.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that commercial and industrial noise is on the decline. This may be due to the stringent guidelines being enforced. These determine the hours of operation for both plant and machinery.
Residential noise complaints continue to rise in part due to infill development becoming more commonplace with greater densities, block sizes decreasing whilst house size increases. Despite the complaints there is anecdotal evidence that people’s tolerance of noise has remained the same.
Reducing solid waste
The total amount of waste generated by Queanbeyan City Council area residents has risen by 9% over 2004-08. Quantities of kerbside recyclables collected in Queanbeyan City Council area have steadily risen over the reporting period, while quantities of greenwaste have dropped slightly as a result of ongoing drought. About half of the waste stream in the Queanbeyan City Council area is recycled, including garden organics, and the remainder goes to landfill in the ACT.
Queanbeyan City Council provides a three bin kerbside waste collection to urban residents, including bins for commingled recyclables, garden organics and general waste. Rural residents organise their own waste collection privately, or deliver it to landfill themselves, and have access to drop off points for recyclables and greenwaste.
There are no active landfills in the Queanbeyan City Council area. Council and residents transport waste to landfill a short distance into the ACT to the landfill at Symonston. Collected recyclables are also transported into the ACT for processing.
The City Council’s data collection is relatively complete and provides an accurate picture of waste generation patterns in the area. Quantities of waste delivered privately to landfill remain unknown as the City Council does not have control over the recording of this data.
Heritage
Changes to the listed heritage estate for Queanbeyan City Council over the past four years show that 119 places have been added to the Local Environment Plan (LEP). The draft LEP on heritage was adopted and substantially increased the size of Council’s heritage conservation areas and the number of identified heritage items in the City Council area. This was an important step in preserving Queanbeyan’s heritage.
However 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.
Queanbeyan City Council’s Cultural Heritage Program provides a heritage advisory service and grants funding as well as monitoring and reviewing. The City Council’s strategic land use policies and programs which affect cultural heritage.
The City Council’s Natural Heritage Program involves monitoring and reviewing Council’s strategic land use planning policies and programs which affect natural heritage. The City Council tries to promote natural heritage protection through land use planning provisions and community land plans of management in such a way as to achieve a balance between development and conservation.
The future what does this mean for the Council?
For water
Queanbeyan City Council area has a present city population around 38,000, and including the local area caters for about 40,000 people. It is one of the fastest growing areas in NSW, and has proposals for major residential development. The proposed Googong Town and the residential development at Jerrabomberra have NSW Government support, and are at the environmental assessment stage. These developments will considerably increase the local population and require significant increases in reticulated water supply over the next five to ten years.
Two major developments in the Canberra/Queanbeyan water supply are the enlarged Lower Cotter dam, which will increase capacity of that storage from about 4 GL to 78 GL, thus adding 85% of capacity to the total Cotter River storages, and the Murrumbidgee to Googong pipeline, which is planned to deliver 100 ML day to the Googong reservoir. These developments will provide added surety for the Canberra/Queanbeyan supply, and allow for projected population increases.
Good consistent data collection should be continued to ensure that direct comparisons between water quality reporting periods can be continued.
For population
In the future it is expected that as a whole Queanbeyan City Council area will be 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. New developments could become a template to showcase more sustainable housing 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
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. These are similar to trends observed in other councils and NSW.
For noise
Examination of some of the reasons for data reporting inaccuracies in barking dog complaints may be needed.
The Queanbeyan City 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 City Council in further planning for resolving noise complaints especially with regard to time management and resources outcomes.
For waste management
Queanbeyan City Council area residents have many recycling options within the Council area. High recycling rates can be encouraged with continuing education, targeted to particular sectors of the community and high density populated areas which often have poorer recycling rates than the general community.
For heritage
No information is available on the condition of heritage sites during the reporting period and little information on their condition prior to the reporting period either. It would be beneficial for the City Council to address these gaps to develop a future benchmark from which to work. It appears that the condition of many sites has not been updated since they were listed on the Register of the National Estate, again this could be addressed.
