Please see the Executive Summary of the NRM North Peer review of the Tamar Lake environmental studies, available from the Tamar Lake website and the Tamar Lake Inc response below to this report. The full report is available from the NRM North website
Tamar Lake Inc welcomes the overall contribution by Dr Rissik in his report on the potential environmental impacts, threats and risks identified in the reports prepared for Tamar Lake Inc by their consultants BMT WBM and CDM Smith.kahovka-service
We feel that this report adds considerable value in understanding the key areas to focus on in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and on the modelling analysis that should be carried out as input to that EIS should the project proceed to that stage.
The segmentation of the actions recommended into the 4 phases of implementation; construction, transition to equilibrium, equilibrium, and future phases is particularly helpful when the program moves into the planning stage.
One of Tasmania’s major competitive advantages in the tourism and agricultural sectors is its “clean, green” image.
However, the water quality in the Upper Reaches of the Tamar around Launceston does not come anywhere near to meeting this standard for the reasons outlined in this section of the Rissik report.
As mentioned in the report, Tamar Lake Inc has always operated on the pre-requisite condition that the Launceston STPs operated by TasWater will be upgraded to a level that ensures that any discharges into the lake from these plants, meet EPA standards for discharge into a freshwater lake environment.
We believe that the TasWater Launceston Sewage Improvement Project will achieve this objective in about the same time frame as the Tamar Lake project.
The Rissik report also notes that currently 70% to 80% of the nutrient loads enter the Tamar from the catchments, with the potential to cause algal blooms to occur during the warmer months tadalafil 5mg.
It is noted that NRM North has an active TEER Water Quality Improvement Plan aimed at reducing both diffuse and point sources of sediment, nutrients and bacteria from the catchments.
While there is no guarantee of success of this program, with at least 7 years before the gates are closed on the barrage, provided this program is continuously funded for this period, the probability is high that the risk of algal blooms is substantially reduced.
In summary, one of the major drivers for the economic justification of the Tamar Lake project is a silt and pollution free lake environment that enhances the “clean, green” image of the State.
The issue of sedimentation in the Tamar River pre barrage, and in Tamar Lake post barrage, has been extensively studied and documented, with no difference in views of cause and effect with the Rissik report.
Tamar Lake Inc has been the driver behind obtaining the government funding for the development of a 3D hydrodynamic model of the Tamar, which will enable the sedimentation deposition upstream and downstream of the barrage to be scientifically quantified. The results of these studies should be available by June 2015, and are expected to verify the preliminary positive results shown in the original BMT WBM Technical study.
Tamar Lake Inc agrees with the Rissik report concerning Passive Acid Sulphate Soils (PASS), but does not agree that this is a gap in our studies, as it has always been the position that dredging will not be undertaken in the Lake at any time, and that the removal of any residual silt deposits in the bed of the lake will only take place through natural scouring or rake assisted scouring, during periods of high flood flow only.
It is the intention that species requiring the ability to transition to and from the saltwater environment to the freshwater environment for life cycle purposes, such as eels and Australian Grayling, will be accommodated with ladders in the barrage wall.
Endangered ocean dwelling species such as sharks, rays and whales etc will have their lower estuary refuge areas truncated at the barrage.
We are unaware of any significant presence of these saltwater species upstream of the proposed barrage but agree that this should be further investigated as part of the environmental approvals process.
It is expected that the effect on state, national and international listed threatened species will be the subject of a detailed environmental impact statement in the detailed planning phase.
The Rissik report correctly identifies a gap in our studies concerning Subtropical and Temperate Coastal Saltmarsh in the list of threatened ecological communities, as this item was listed after the publication of the Tamar Lake environmental reports.
There are currently no listed saltmarsh communities in the proposed lake area, and hence no threat to those communities, but there may be communities that have not yet been listed. This is an issue that will be taken up when, and if, we get into the EIS studies.
The report identifies Gambusia as a pest fish species currently limited to the Tamar Island Wetlands and adjacent farm dams.
It is Tamar Lake’s position that programs to eradicate this pest should continue to be funded with the aim of complete eradication prior to the construction of the barrage.
Tamar lake Inc accepts the recommendations shown and has identified the following studies and planning approvals that have already been carried out, or will be carried out, prior to any decision being made to proceed.
Risk Assessments – Assessment of the risks to survival and health of the ecological communities will be carried out in an EIS after the 3D modelling work had been carried out, probably late in 2015.
Modelling Scenarios – The implementation of the 3D model of the Tamar by BMT WBM towards the middle of next year, will provide Tamar Lake Inc with the tools to carry out the recommended modelling scenarios as input to the EIS
Business Case – Two economic studies have already been carried out by NERA Economic Consultants and KPMG and will be used as input to justify the business case. These studies have justified the capital expenditure on the barrage in just the tourism and agricultural sectors. Further studies into the economic benefits in the tourism, industrial and aquaculture industries over the next 12 months are expected to add substance to the business case.
Monitoring and Evaluation – Tamar Lake agrees with this recommendation.
The report identifies that the original impetus for the Tamar Lake studies was the elimination of the silt accumulation in the Upper Reaches, but the environmental, technical, and economic studies carried out to date are all steps in the on-going process of examining the viability of the project from a scientific and social license perspective.
Dr Rissik correctly identifies that while Tamar Lake Inc has carried out detailed environmental and economic studies, no attempt has been made at this stage to understand the socio-economic effects of the proposal.
Socio-economic refers to the social, economic and environmental impact of the barrage. We agree that there has been insufficient work done on the broad social benefits and losses from the barrage and that this will become a focus for Tamar Lake Inc. However, considerable effort has gone into the economic and environmental work to date for what amounts to a pre-feasibility stage for the project.
From a Tamar Lake perspective, the socio-economic impact assessment will be carried out with the EIS and legislative approvals process only after a decision is made to proceed to the detailed planning phase after the identified 3D modelling has been carried out.
At that stage the project will be presented to the community as a major component of the economic growth strategy for Tasmania.
Tamar Lake Inc response to the key issues identified in this report.
We have settled on the preferred location for the barrage in Long Reach as shown in the following Google Earth image.
Fortunately, the farmland on the west side of the barrage is owned by one of our members, Ralph Norton, and the land on the east side is owned by Bell Bay Aluminium (Rio Tinto).
Discussions will take place concerning construction access and eventually right of way access for the pedestrian/bike pathway between West Bay Road and the East Tamar Highway as shown.
For more information, please see our web site at www.tamarlake.com.au.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions not answered on our website.
Yours sincerely,
Robin Frith
President
Phone: +61 3 6334 7051
Mobile: (+61) 0419 176 096