Townsville SOE - State of the Environment Report

Funded by: National Heritage Trust - Coasts and Clean Seas Program

Louisa Creek Project

To facilitate the development of the Coasts and Clean Seas Projects and to ensure good community outcomes, Council has formed a Community Reference Group and a Technical Advisory Group. These were commitments made in the Business Plan and associated funding Agreement.

Louisa Creek

The objectives of the groups are to:
1. Involve stakeholders and raise awareness about the project;
  2. Commence an integrated catchment management approach in Louisa       Creek
  3. Gain technical input and local review of the designs prior to consruction.

Technical Reference Group
  DPI (Fisheries)
  EPA (Operations)
  Sunfish Representative (Vern Veitch)
  Environmental Consultants (Natural Resource Assessments)
  JCU Engineering Department
  Citiworks
  Environmental Planning Staff

Community Stormwater Educator
A community stormwater educator was employed as part of the project for one day per week. This position complemented stormwater education programs run through the Urban Stormwater Initiative and other Council programs involved with CoastCare.

There are two main components to the Louisa Creek infrastructure. These are referred to as the Cumuglia St. and Greg Jabs Court sections.

Read about the projects on the Coasts and Clean Seas Site: www.nht.gov.au

Camuglia Street
	The Camuglia Street Pollution Control System (PCS) is designed to treat the run off from 145 hectares of predominantly light industrial land within the Greater Louisa Creek Catchment. Two lots in the light industrial zone have been used in developing this innovative stormwater management system. The system incorporates a primary treatment basin, tertiary treatment pond, and wetland. The system is so designed that during low flows, water moves slowly through the GPT and wetlands, depositing sediment and debris. In high flows, stormwater flows through the GPT but then straight over the top of the wetland systems. An interesting feature of this system is that the entry point of the stormwater into the GPTs is only 300 mm above mean sea level. The challenge of maintaining flows has been overcome by innovative engineering and local knowledge.
	One of the two Primary Sediment and Gross Pollutant basins.
	Secondary sedimentation tank which discharges to the detention basin.
	Retention of existing trees (very large and old riparian melaleucas) was applied as a constraint to the PCS to demonstrate that significant ecological features can be retained and assist with the aesthetic and environmental values of engineered water quality management solutions.
	This small wetland constructed for low flows, features riffle pools and rock barriers with londitudinal reed zones to treat light industrial run off into Louisa Creek.
Schematics (designs) of the Treatment System show progression of the design Design Iteration 1 Design Iteration 2 Design Iteration 3 Design Iteration 4

Camuglia Street Map

Camuglia Street Video
Camuglia Street Video (click below)
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Greg Jabs Court

A former Council trapezoidal drain that had become choked with water weeds (typha and para grass).

This drain serviced a light industrial area and become an ineffective hydraulic corridor.

This project saw the grasses removed from the drain, riparian vegetation planted along the banks, and a stormwater management system constructed.

This system consists of a gross pollutant trap, two rock ripples, and three constructed ponds.