Yandina Creek Wetlands - Monitoring, maintenance (vegetation, water quality) and weed control

Specifications

• Client: Unitywater
• Scope:

  Unitywater have engaged Verterra to provide the following services:

  Monthly water quality sampling services from four locations upstream and downstream on Yandina Creek and the small southern creek;

  Photo-point monitoring of vegetation twice yearly and detailed annual assessment across the three identified vegetation communities:  Melaleuca Quinquenervia and Causarina glauca open forest; Mangrove; and       Saltpan / sedgeland.

  Weed maintenance and additional monitoring as required.

  Monitoring and testing will be carried out over a 3-year period.

  Prior to commencing this contract, Verterra assisted Unitywater with the removal of the tidal gates. Verterra has also provided aerial footage of the wetland for Unitywater's Wetland "VLog".

• Challenge:

  Unitywater’s objectives are twofold:

  Water Quality:  to quantify water quality entering and exiting the wetlands on Yandina Creek and the small south boundary creek and report temporal trends in water quality entering and exiting the site.

  Vegetation Monitoring: to assess the health of the developing wetland and recovering adjacent vegetation communities as well as making observations regarding the wetland recovery assumptions supporting the nutrient offset.

  As the site is known for Acid Sulphate Soils, Unitywater intends to exercise due diligence and demonstrate there is no environmental harm.

• Solution:

  Verterra brings practical experience in wetland maintenance, monitoring and revegetation as well as technical expertise in Acid Sulphate Soils. Sampling activities will be carried out in accordance with AS/NZS 5667:1998; EHP Monitoring and Sampling Manual:2009: Environmental Protection (Water) Policy; Unitywater SOPs and Verterra related Work Instructions and Work Methods. 

• Benefit to Client:

  Verterra’s proven experience with wetland maintenance, monitoring and revegetation, and technical expertise in Acid Sulphate Soils, provides Unitywater with confidence that their monitoring program meets relevant standards and procedures and will achieve desired outcomes.

• Market Sector: Municipal and Urban
• Capabilities:
  • Environmental surveys, benchmarking and biodiversity assessment
• Location: Queensland
• Year: 2018 - 2020