Harley Wright    Hugh Shanks
Paul Couvret    Jim Reid
Warren Hicks    Gay Spies
Trevor Flewin    Kate Lamb
Alla Kamaralli    Ian Ferguson
Srini Avvari    Peter Moxham
Andrew Boleyn    Nadesu Kailainathan
 

2.  Observers present:
 
Tonya Stapley (Acting Coordinator) Louise Hardy
Alfred Bernhard   John Mentis (DLWC)
Joanne Scarsbrick   Karen Truran (Sydney Water)
Charles Rottier (Sydney Water)

3. Apologies:

Brian Hill    Barbara Aird
Brian Evesson    Genia McCaffery
Bob Clark    Shirley Cherry

4. Adoption of the minutes of the 11th December meeting.

Harley opened the meeting introducing Karen Truran and Charles Rottier from Sydney Water, along with Nadesu Kailainathan a new member and John Mentis an observer from DLWC studying catchment Management. He also introduced Tonya Stapley who is the Acting Coordinator  for the committee until the position is filled. The minutes from the last meeting were then moved and adopted as an accurate record with the correction that item 8 Correspondence should have read; Draft Development Control Plan for Sydney Harbour and its Tributaries.

5. Consideration of the agenda:

Items to be added to the agenda were:
  Foreshore building line
  Draft Development Control Plan for Sydney Harbour and its Tributaries
  Acid Sulfate Soils
 

6. Presentation: Northside Storage Tunnel
 Karen Truran and Charles Rottier Sydney Water.

Prior to the presentation, Harley outlined that the Committee already had a fair level of
understanding about the proposed tunnel and that he felt we should be given a brief overview of the project and then focus our attention on the areas of Tunks Park, Quakers Hat, and Scotts Creek. This was agreed to by the committee.

Charles Rottier gave some background to the project. He stated that the proposed tunnel will consist of a 15.8 kilometre tunnel running between 65 metres and 90 metres underground from Lane Cove West to North Head. A 3.5 kilometre branch tunnel will run from Scotts Creek to join the main tunnel under Tunks Park. The tunnel aims to reduce the amount of dilute sewage (sewage diluted with rain water) discharged into the catchment of Sydney Harbour. It will capture wet weather sewage overflows from four points along the NSOOS - at Lane Cove, Tunks Park, Scotts Creek and Quakers Hat Bay. These sites discharge the greatest volume of dilute sewage into the harbour. The tunnel will store the dilute sewage during wet weather to prevent it overflowing into the harbour, and it will then be transported to North Head Sewage Treatment Plant for treatment before being discharged through the ocean outfalls. The project is being proposed by Sydney Water, Transfield, Montgomery Watson and Connell Wagner, and it is expected that the tunnel will be completed in mid 2000, prior to the Olympic games. Charles stated that some of the benefits of the tunnel included; the frequency of wet weather sewage overflows from Lane Cove, Tunks Park, Scotts Creek and Quakers Hat Bay will be reduced from up to 20 times a year to about twice a year, faecal contamination of harbour waters will be reduced making it safer to swim, odours and visible sewage matter from sewerage system overflows will be significantly reduced, nutrient loads in the harbour will be reduced, and the tunnel will also incorporate pipelines for transporting sludge and/or reuse water.

The issue of reuse water was discussed by the committee. It was questioned how clean treated water would be put back through the tunnel for reuse. It was stated that it would travel back through different pipes within the tunnel and that it would be treated at the other end before use.

Charles also stated that drop shafts and access/ventilation shafts would need to be constructed to connect the tunnel to the surface. These drop shafts will be constructed at Lane Cove River East, Tunks Park, Scotts Creek and Quakers Hat Bay. The issue of above ground structures at the intake points was raised. Alfred questioned if it was possible to construct the intake and odour control structures with no above ground works, and it was stated that this option had been carried out overseas and it was being look into. It was stated that as the air would be pushed out of the tunnel as it was filled with water, that this would cause an odour to be pushed out. Options are being looked at to trap this air and deal with it.

On conclusion of the background presentation, Karen Truran introduced her self as a community awareness officer for the Northside Storage Tunnel. She announced that her primary role was to provide information to the community and deal specifically with the areas of Quakers Hat, Little Manly Point and North Head. Karen stated that at present a Quakers Hat Community Group had been established to look specifically at the tunnel issues within their area. She also stated that she is in the process of setting up a working group to deal with the remaining areas of concern, and asked if any one from the MHCMC would like to be involved. Through community groups like this, Karen felt that she could best monitor they level of community awareness and answer any of their concerns. She announced that a 24 hour complaints hot line had been established, and that letter box drops and newspaper advertising had all been carried out in the hope of raising community awareness. Karen stated that she wished to attend MHCMC meetings on a regular bases to provide an update report on the tunnel proposal. Harley welcomed this suggestion and stated that it would be added to the agenda as a regular item.

Harley thanked Charles and Karen for their presentation and stated that we would here from Karen again at the next meeting.
 

7.  Regular reports/feedback:

7.1  Long Bay Estuary Management Committee
Harley stated that he had not attended the last meeting and therefore had nothing new to report.

7.2  Sydney Water - Northside Storage Tunnel project update

This had already been covered in item 6: Presentation.

7.3  Belrose Community Monitoring Committee

Paul announced that he had attended the last meeting of the Belrose Community Monitoring Committee on 23rd February, and that at this meeting a Draft Plan for truck parking at the tip site had been presented and examined. He pointed out that there had been a number of objections to the plan, and that one issue raised was that the trucks were using an alternative route to avoid the traffic lights and this was causing conflict with a neighbouring horse riding school. This issue was being looked into further by the RTA.

Paul also stated that the mining of sandstone at the Manly Warringah gravel site would continue. He pointed out that all the surface layers of sandstone had been depleted and there was now a need to mine lower into the ground and that this would create a bigger hole.  Harley had previously written a letter discussing the fact that the mining location was only 30 metres from the National Park, and addressed concerns over the possibility that leachate would make its way into Middle Harbour. It had been stated that the hole would be lined with plastic to prevent this from occurring. There were still a number of concerns over how successful this would be particularly because of the continual introduction of weeds into an area that currently has only a low level weed issue. Paul announced that the Belrose Community Monitoring Committee had decided to schedule an inspection of the site prior to the next meeting on Monday 20th April at 3pm, and that these concerns would be discussed then. He stated that anyone interested in attending the site inspection was more than welcome and could contact him to find out more details.
 
 Action: Paul to attend site inspection on 20th April and report back to the  committee. Any one interested in attending should contact Paul.
 

8.  Working Group Reports

Tonya stated that she required each Working Group to complete their Business Plans for now until the end of June and get them to her as soon as possible.
 
 Action: Each Working Group to complete their Business Plans and return them  to Tonya.

8.1  Community Education Working Group.

Paul announced that the Community Education Working Group had finalised their new logo and were now in the process of ordering 100 T-shirts for the committee. He also stated that Tonya was continuing to work on the Internet Home Page but at this stage has not had an opportunity to complete it. It is hoped that it will be up and running by the next meeting. The Bush friendly video is now close to completion and the Education Working Group is planning to host a launch of the video in the near future. A briefing of the Natural Heritage Trust workshop was given and it was stated that 60 community members had attended and that the night had been a great success. Paul also stated that the working group is now looking into reprinting Middle Harbours brochures, and doing a mail out to all households in the catchment. The working Group is also looking at hosting a Bushland Forum and a series of lectures similar to the Stormwater Forum held last year by the Water Quality Working Group. The next meeting for the Education Working Group will be held on Thursday 16th April, at the Dougherty Centre 5pm prior to the MHCMC meeting.

 ACTION: Tonya to finalise logo and order 100 T-shirt for the committee.  Tonya to continue working on the web page and get it on line prior to the next  meeting. Paul to inquire about costing for a mail out of brochures to all house- holds in Middle Harbour and Tonya to organise reprinting of brochures.

8.2  Water Quality Working Group

Harley stated that the Water Quality Working Group had not met recently due to a number of difficulties. He proposed that the next meeting would be scheduled for Friday 27th of March, 5:30pm at the Dougherty Centre. Both Nadesu Kailainathan and Joanne Scarsbrick stated that they would join this working group.
 
 Action: All members of the Water Quality Working Group to attend meeting on  Friday 27th March 5:30pm, Dougherty Centre. Harley to send out agenda for  the meeting.

8.3  Bushland, Estuary and Land Management Working Group.

Alfred announced that the Bushland Working Group were still working on the advisory notices which would display the hazards of allowing material to enter the drain and also notify builders of the fines associated with such actions. At present 2000 labels are currently being screen printed and will go up around Willoughby Council as a trial. It was stated that a draft letter had been sent out to all councils in the catchment seeking their support and corporation with the project. The Bush friendly video is also now complete and will be distributed to libraries and schools around the catchment. The next meeting for the Bushland, Estuary and Land Management Working Group will be held on Thursday 16th April, at the Dougherty Centre 5pm prior to the MHCMC meeting.

9  Administrative Matters:

Matters arising from the minutes:

9.1  Stormwater Management Plans
Louise announced that Ku-ring-gai council is presently developing their stormwater management plans and she highlighted the importance of CMCs being involved in the process. She stated that Ku-ring-gai council has proposed to hold a forum to look at engineering and environmental issues associated with stormwater management plans. She stated that along with councils, members of the EPA and CMCs would also be invited. The forum has been proposed for early April and letters will go out to councils next week requesting that they all be involved. Louise stated that she thought the MHCMC should grab the opportunity to become involved and proposed that the Water Quality working group be involved in running the night. The committee agreed with the proposal and Harley suggested that it be discussed at the next Water Quality working group meeting on the 27th March. Louise agreed and stated that she would attend this meeting and by then be able to tell the working group more about the forum and the officers who would be attending. It was proposed that Shane Barter from the EPA be invited to this meeting.
 
 Action: The issue of the stormwater management plan forum to be discussed at  the Water Quality Working Group meeting on Friday 27th March at 5:30pm  Dougherty Centre. Louise to attend this meeting and bring along a copy of the  draft notice. Warren and Louise to arrange for Shane Barter from the EPA to  be invited to the working group meeting.

9.2  Re-selection process of members to CMCs; update.

At this stage appointments for the Middle Harbour CMC have not been finalised. There has been a number of problems with the selections and these are presently being look into by Harley and Tonya. It has been stated by the Minister that the committee will now only be comprised of 4 council representatives, not the original six. At this stage the MHCMC no longer has a representative from Ku-ring-gai or Manly Council appointed to it. As soon as appointments are finalised a comprehensive list of members and their appointment periods will be sent out.
 
 Action: Tonya to keep the committee informed as to what is happing with  memberships and send out a list to all members as soon as possible.

9.3 NHT Workshop

As previously stated under item 8.1, the Natural Heritage Trust information workshop was co-hosted with Sydney Northern Beaches and Lane Cove River CMC on Tuesday 10th February. This workshop was held to explain the NHT funding requirements and the new regional process, to provide hints on successful applications, and to answer specific questions on current projects. The speakers on the night included; Charmaine Beckett, Jane Hall, Rebecca Nicolson, Marcella Borgher, and Linda Bell. The night was very successful, with approximately 60 people attending.

9.4 Small Projects

It has been proposed that a Small Projects workshop be co-hosted with Lane Cove River CMC in early April, and that applications for small projects will close the first week in May. This workshop will be similar to previous years and will aim to make community members aware of the funding available through TCM Enhancement of Small Project, and to provide information and assistance in writing their applications. Tonya stressed the importance of receiving as many applications as possible as it would appear that in future years each CMC will have to put in a bid for the money it requires for small projects based on previous years applications. Middle Harbour has some funds left over from previous years which are still available. Advertisements for the workshop will be posted in local papers and a mail out will be carried out to all community groups on the data base.

 Action: Tonya to organise Small Projects workshop with the Coordinator of  Lane Cove River CMC, Ms Rebecca Nicolson. Advertising and mail out to be  organised in the coming week and workshop to be hosted in early April.

9.5 Sydney Harbour Regional Organisation

The Sydney Harbour Regional Organisation is now up and running and a Regional Strategic Plan for Sydney Harbour Catchment has been developed. A copy of the Strategic Plan was circulated to all members. Harley stated that he was a member of the Regional Committee, and that Paul had been appointed as the representative of the Regional Assessment Panel for the Regional Committee. This Panel will assess all Natural Heritage Trust Grant Applications against the Regional Strategic Plan and propose a regional bid. Harley thanked Paul for volunteering to contribute his time and be involved.
Joanne Scarsbrick also stated that she had been involved the preparation of an NHT application for the Harbour to Hawkesbury Bushland Project. This project aims to develop management strategies to ensure the ecological sustainability of the natural heritage link between the Harbour and Hawkesbury area. The project looks at developing a walking trail through the area and incorporating strategies such as vegetation management, restoration and conservation, and community awareness and education. Joanne thanked MHCMC for their support for the project and filed a copy of the application into the committee correspondence.

9.6 TCM Review and Host Agency Documents.

This issue was not discussed due to time constraints.

New Agenda Items

Items added to the agenda from item 5.

9.7  Foreshore Building Line

Gay stated that she had attended a meeting to discuss the Foreshore Building Line. At the meeting a number of individuals had spoken from a variety of groups including the EPA, Botanical Gardens, Steering Committee as well as members of the community. It was stated at the meeting that the report was to be put on hold until after the Councils have held a workshop on 24th March. This workshop will be followed by an inspection of certain sites.

9.8 Draft Development Control Plan for Sydney Harbour and its Tributaries

Gay stated that she had only recently finished her response to the Development Control Plan. She felt the MHCMC had an important role to play in responding to the Plan and she felt that we should do so immediately. She pointed out that although responses had closed, no one was going to refuse a response from the CMC. Gay gave a copy of the Development Control Plan to Harley to read, and it was decided that Harley, Gay and Bob will respond to it.
 
 Action: Harley to read Development Control Plan, and respond to it with Gay  and Bob.

9.9 Acid Sulfate Soils

Trevor announced that he had been working on new erosion and sediment control guidelines based on existing guidelines produced by the EPA and other Government documents. He stated that these new guidelines will explain best management practices and will be able to be adopted to site specific projects. He explained that he had also been involved in the reprinting of acid sulfate soil maps which are known as “risk maps”. These maps display the likelihood of identifying acid sulfate soils in specific areas. These risk maps will be available soon.
 

10. Correspondence

The correspondence folder and a summary list of all correspondence was circulated at the meeting.
Things to note:
Harley read out a letter he had received which addressed the issue of CMCs employing staff. A copy of this letter was given to members present. The letter stated that under the Catchment Management Act, CMCs can not normally employ staff or enter into contracts and that they must rely on the assistance of relevant state agencies or local government to undertake functions outside those listed in the Catchment Management Act. If a CMC wishes to employ staff or enter into contracts it needs to form itself into an incorporated association.

11 General Business

11.1 Radio Announcements

Tonya announced that each of the 6 CMC Coordinators based in Parramatta, have recently been interviewed for radio commentary about each of their committees. These broadcasts can be heard on 2CBA-FM 103 starting at 7:45 am on Friday 27th March. Each coordinator can be heard at the same time each day for the next six days. It is believed that Middle Harbour will be presented on Monday 30th March, but this is yet to be confirmed.

11.2 Regional Plan

It  was announced in a press release from the Premier of NSW Mr Bob Carr, that the NSW Government will appoint a “Harbour Manager” to oversee, trouble-shoot and coordinate activities in and around Sydney Harbour. The Harbour Manager will be the first point of contact for anyone dealing with the various Government agencies and consent authorities. It was stated that the Harbour Manager would not replace or remove the role of existing harbour authorities, but would serve as a contact and coordination point between the community and controlling agencies. The Harbour manager’s responsibilities include: Land use and planning around Sydney Harbour and its foreshores; Pollution control issues; Transportation issues; Urban Design; and Maintenance of a working harbour.
Gay stated that it would be good idea if the committee could have a presentation or some feedback as to where this announcement fits in with the regional Plan.

12. Close of Meeting:

Harley closed the meeting at 8:05pm.
 

Next Meeting:
Thursday 16th April, 5:45pm
Meeting Room
Dougherty Centre, 7 Victor St, Chatswood