North Creek

North Creek Coastal Management Program

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Stage 1 - Commencement 

Completed 2017 - 2020

Area	North Creek Estuary and Catchment Area
Funding	$58,000 equally funded by NSW Dept of Planning and Environment (DPE) Coastal and Estuary Grants Program and Council

In November 2017 Council applied for a grant under the DPE Coastal and Estuaries Grants Program to commence a Coastal Management Program (CMP) for North Creek. A Coastal Management Program consists of five stages and aims to design a long-term strategy for multifaceted coastal management as defined by the aims and objectives of the Coastal Management Act 2016 (CM Act).

The five stages of the Coastal Management Program are:

1.  Identify the scope of the CMP
2.  Determine risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities
3.  Identify and evaluate options
4.  Prepare, exhibit, finalise, certify and adopt the CMP
5.  Implement, monitor, evaluate and report

In December 2017 Council received confirmation of a grant approval from the Department of Planning and Environment (formerly Office of Environment and Heritage) and received $29,000 at a 50% funding level (with Council also committing $29,000 in funding). This allowed Council to commence Stage 1 of the CMP process and commission a Scoping Study for North Creek.

Council requested quotations for the North Creek Scoping Study and outlined the requirements and specifications in the Request for Quotation (RFQ979). Alluvium Consulting were successful in winning the quotation and were engaged on 28 February 2018 to complete the Scoping Study for North Creek.

The scoping study for the North Creek Coastal Management Program was completed in December 2019 and following an extensive literature review, identified the scope of the North Creek Coastal Management Program.

As a result of the Scoping Study findings it was recommended to undertake further studies which included:

• Collection of high-resolution topographic data to 0.1 m vertical resolution of the entire catchment
• Bathymetric survey of all key drains and the estuary channel
• Development of a hydrodynamic model of the catchment to assess flow dynamics and drainage pathways and impacts on existing land uses. A coupled catchment-coastal model including tidal and storm tide inundation
• Implementation of a North Creek Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP) which will include ambient and event-based monitoring for over 18 months across different areas of the catchment
• Development of a Source Catchment model of surface and groundwater pathways using outputs from the hydrodynamic model and WQMP to assess pollutant pathways through the catchment.

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Stage 2 Development of Hydrological Model and Water Quality Monitoring

In Progress 2021 - 2024

Area	North Creek Estuary and Catchment Area
Funding	$189,952 for water quality monitoring - funded 2:1 by NSW Dept of Planning and Environment (DPE) Coastal and Estuary Grants Program and Council $286,246.50 for development of hydrological model - funded 2:1 by NSW Dept of Planning and Environment (DPE) Coastal and Estuary Grants Program and Council

Following the recommendations of the Scoping Study and grant funding obtained in February 2021, Council initiated Stage 2 of the Coastal Management Program and developed a Request for Tender (RFT1393) which detailed the scope of works for a hydrological study and water quality monitoring with a closing date of 1 April 2021. Due to the high level of technical work involved, Water Research Laboratory (WRL) were engaged to assist Council in developing the request for tender document. Although the development of the hydrological model and water quality monitoring in Stage 2 are separate studies, the Request for Tender released by Council has combined both components into one tender document realising that consultants who may apply for the work will need to team up with other consultants who specialize in the relevant fields. It is anticipated that the final CMP Stage 2 report will contain both the water quality monitoring and the hydrological modelling outcomes with a preliminary assessment of management options.

Following a third-party independent review of the applications received by WRL, Hydrosphere Consulting was awarded the contract to commence works for Stage 2 of the North Creek CMP. As outlined in their brief, Hydrosphere Consulting will undertake the water quality monitoring, reporting, stakeholder engagement, options assessment, surveying and project management and have nominated Water Technology to undertake the Hydrological Modelling component.

As the scope of works proposed by Hydrosphere Consulting exceeded the grant amounts for the hydrological study and the water quality monitoring, variations were sought by Council to cover the additional costs. In November 2021 Council received confirmation that the variations had been approved and received an additional $23,968 for the water quality monitoring program and an additional $20,165 for the hydrological modelling component with Council contributing an additional $11,984 and $10,082.50 respectively.

As of May 2023 Council are continuing to progress with Stage 2 of the Coastal Management Program. The 12-month water quality monitoring program finalised in November 2022, stakeholders and landholder engagement is ongoing and the initial hydrological model demonstration was presented to project steering committee members in August 2022. The model demonstration allowed stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations and also provide an appropriate forum to provide feedback to the consultants.

Following the severe floods on the Northern Rivers in February-March 2022 $11.4 million has been committed to the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative, coordinated by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The aim of this commitment is to better understand climate, catchment, and hydrological drivers within the region and how these drivers impact flooding. This initiative involves the collection of LiDAR and bathymetry data which will greatly assist the development of a hydrological model for North Creek. The data will be publicly available in December 2023 and the timelines for Stage 2 of the North Creek CMP have been revised to accommodate the review and application of this data. The inclusion of this data will significantly enhance the accuracy and overall effectiveness of the hydrological model.

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North Creek Shoals Investigation

In Progress Jan 2022 - May/June 2022

Area	North Creek Lower Reaches
Funding	$15,640 by Ballina Shire Council

The North Creek Shoals investigation came about as a variation to the North Creek Coastal Management Program following interest raised from Councillors during Council meetings and from members of the public. The main concerns relate to the accumulation of sand in the lower reaches of North Creek and whether it is significantly altering the estuary morphology.

Council requested a variation from Hydrosphere Consulting as part of the ongoing North Creek CMP to address these concerns. A North Creek Sand Shoals Investigation proposal was submitted by Hydrosphere Consulting and this investigation aims to:

1. Determine whether the volume of sand within lower North Creek has changed since a detailed hydrographic survey undertaken by Hydrosphere Consulting in January 2018.
2. Describe the pattern of sand shoal movement/development within lower North Creek through annotation of a selection of available aerial photography.
3. Evaluate the likely pathway of sand entering the system through interpretation of available aerial photography and discussion of geomorphic processes.

The proposed variation was accepted and signed off by Council staff on 11 January 2022. The North Creek Shoals Investigation has an additional cost of $15,640 and is currently underway with draft reporting expected to be complete in May 2022.

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More Information

For more information about the catchment area and these programs, please call Council's Public and Environmental Health Division on 1300 864 444. 

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Resources

• Hydrosphere Consulting - Project Communication Portal
• Planning in Coastal Areas - NSW Dept of Planning and Environment 
• Coastal Management Toolkit - NSW Dept of Planning and Environment
• North Creek Scoping Study including all attachments (17mb pdf)
• North Creek Dredging Scoping Study (4.1mb pdf) presents the findings of preliminary investigations by Council into the extraction of sand from North Creek. This follows Council’s selection by NSW Crown Lands as the preferred proponent to undertake the project.  The report provides a summary of the proposed activities, the environmental and social factors, the relevant legislation and likely planning approvals pathway, and the identification of information needed to determine the feasibility of the project and satisfy the necessary approvals.
• North Creek Dredging Sediment Investigation Report (4mb pdf) considered the sediment grant size distribution, any potential contamination from past landuses and acid sulfate soil risk.
• North Creek Dredging Program Baseline Shorebird Survey (7.1mb pdf) provided information regarding what shorebirds currently utliise the area as a means both to understand the potential impacts of dredging but also inform a monitoring program should dredging be an approved outcome of this process.

A Land Use History Snapshot - North Creek

A land use history of North Creek was developed as part of work under Stage 1 of the Coastal Management Program for North Creek. It looks at how the North Creek has evolved from when only Aboriginal people lived here, to the the creek as we see it today. Many changes have occurred - from the breakwall being placed at the mouth of the Richmond River, to clearing and floodplain drainage.