Mt Crosby Habitat Offset

Specifications

• Client: Seqwater
• Scope:

  Seqwater’s works to expand the sludge disposal area at its Mt Crosby Water Treatment Plant (WTP), which impacted on an area of local koala habitat. An agreement was entered into between Seqwater and the Regulator, EHP to mitigate the impact by creating an offset at its Wivenhoe Dam, Bryden Road site. Verterra was engaged to establish 961 juvenile koala habitat trees on 3.61ha of land adjoining Wivenhoe Dam and to manage them for a further 12-month period following establishment practical completion. Subsequently, Verterra were also engaged to plant an additional 150 trees as part of this offset.

  The project was delivered in 4 stages:

  Stage 1 - Preparing preliminary information;
  Stage 2 - Producing Koala Offset Site / Vegetation Management Plan;
  Stage 3 - Planting juvenile Koala habitat trees; and
  Stage 4 - Management, maintenance, monitoring and reporting.

• Challenge:

  Bring stocking numbers back to 100% of original planting density, and achieving a minimum of 90% survival at project completion. Soils in the Wivenhoe region are by nature hard setting sandstone derivatives with limits to water permeability.

• Solution:

  Verterra’s team had previous experience of establishing planted forests in the Wivenhoe region and knowledge of soils, landscape and demand requirements for successful establishment. In addition, Verterra had developed a vegetation sampling methodology and data analysis to support the Seqwater Wyaralong Dam Vegetation Offset Project. This methodology was accepted by the Co-ordinator General, EHP and Commonwealth Environment Department and delivers Seqwater a complying reporting capability that will demonstrate progress towards non-juvenile status.

• Benefit to Client:

  Verterra’s experience and methodology delivered Seqwater a complying reporting capability that will demonstrate progress toward non-juvenile status.

• Market Sector: Water and Wastewater
• Capabilities:
  • Vegetation and biodiversity offsets
• Location: Queensland
• Year: 2015 - 2017