The Murray Darling Association is holding a Conference titled How Precious is
our water? in the Barossa Valley on April 29th, 2005 discussing the needs and
uses of water.  The Conference is aiming to exchange information between the
rural upper and lower urban regions, and is based around how South Australia
uses its Murray Darling Basin water allocation.

Speakers include Hon Karlene Maywald, Peter Toome, Peter Dillon and Joe Keynes.
Check out the attached flyer for further information.

Please contact Trudi for a registration form or visit the website at:
www.mda.asn.au

Cheers,
Trudi

Trudi Duffield
Marketing and Promotions Officer
Murray Darling Association Inc. [Adelaide Office]

Post  PO Box 89 Rundle Mall
      	 Adelaide, South Australia 5000
Tele  + 61 8 8226 0511
Fax    + 61 8 8226 0584

Web 	 www.mda.asn.au

Are you interested in being a member of the Murray Darling Association?
The Association welcomes new members and their involvement in our
various activities. We encourage you to become part of the largest
non-government, not for profit organisation with an interest in the
future of the Murray-Darling Basin. Click on the link to be a member
<http://www.mda.asn.au/go/membership>

www.savethemurray.com An Internet portal dedicated to educating,
engaging and empowering the community to clean up and protect the health
of the River Murray and its surrounds.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

How do I join?

To join the Australian Urban NRM Network send an email to
UrbNRM-subscribe@...

How do I contribute?

Contributions to the "Australian Urban NRM Network Update" and network website are very welcome - email to UrbNRM-owner@...

Can I use material from UrbNRM?

Yes, please feel free to use information from the Australian Urban NRM Network (UrbNRM) in your newsletters, network emails etc.

How do I unsubscribe?

To unsubscribe send an email to UrbNRM-unsubscribe@...

What is Australian Urban NRM Network (UrbNRM)?

The Australian Urban Natural Resource Management (NRM) Network provides a forum for the exchange and discussion of ideas, innovations, issues and solutions to assist in the conservation and management of the natural resources of Australia's major urban areas.  The Australian Urban NRM Network (UrbNRM) includes regular email updates and useful links and calendar dates, with additional items added regularly.

-----------------------------------------------------
This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.
-----------------------------------------------------

The Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC) is conducting a forum entitled
"Biodiversity or Bust" on Saturday 12th March 2005 from 10am - 3.30pm at the
YWCA, Liverpool Street, Sydney.

The aim of the forum is to discuss the potential impacts of the Sydney
Metropolitan Strategy on Biodiversity in the Sydney Basin.  This strategy will
have implications for strategies currently being prepared for the Central Coast,
Lower Hunter and Illawarra Regions.

Representatives from the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural
Resources (DIPNR) and Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) will be
in attendance to present information on the development of the Strategy with
particular reference to Biodiversity Conservation from a departmental
perspective.

We invite all interested parties to register for this important forum where your
views will be obtained for incorporation into a united approach to Biodiversity
Conservation under the Sydney Metropolitan Strategy.

A copy of the registration form is attached for your information or can be
downloaded from
http://www.nccnsw.org.au/bushland/calendar/20050312_borb.html

Please contact Daniela Gambotto, NCC's Urban and Coastal Campaigner on
02 9279 2466 or dgambotto@... for further information.

As space is limited at the venue, we ask that registrations be made by Friday 4
March 2005.

Thankyou, and we look forward to seeing you at this important forum.


Daniela Gambotto
Urban & Coastal Campaigner
Ph: 9279 2466
Fax: 9279 2499
dgambotto@...
Nature Conservation Council of NSW
Level 5, 362 Kent St
Sydney  NSW  2000
www.nccnsw.org.au/bushland

"We must be the change we wish to see"
M.K.Ghandi

• An eco-home in an eco-village - the design features.
• The Hydrogen Economy - not just a matter of fuel replacement.
• An emerging trend for wastewater and sanitation.
• Children's quality of life in cities: Are we impoverishing tomorrow's leaders?
• Taking sustainability mainstream in the business world.
• Cradle to cradle for carpets and cities - sustainability in manufacturing and the built environment.
• Sustainability and the Building Code of Australia (BCA).
• The TravelSmart Household Program - reducing car trips.
• High or low density - how best to design human settlements?
  
  

-----------------------------------------------------
This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.
-----------------------------------------------------

How do I join?

To join the Australian Urban NRM Network send an email to
UrbNRM-subscribe@...

How do I contribute?

Contributions to the "Australian Urban NRM Network Update" and network website are very welcome - email to UrbNRM-owner@...

Can I use material from UrbNRM?

Yes, please feel free to use information from the Australian Urban NRM Network (UrbNRM) in your newsletters, network emails etc.

How do I unsubscribe?

To unsubscribe send an email to UrbNRM-unsubscribe@...

What is Australian Urban NRM Network (UrbNRM)?

The Australian Urban Natural Resource Management (NRM) Network provides a forum for the exchange and discussion of ideas, innovations, issues and solutions to assist in the conservation and management of the natural resources of Australia's major urban areas.  The Australian Urban NRM Network (UrbNRM) includes regular email updates and useful links and calendar dates, with additional items added regularly.

-----------------------------------------------------
This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.
-----------------------------------------------------

Profiling the Sydney Metro Strategy and Melbourne 2030

The Sydney Metropolitan Strategy and Melbourne 2030 were profiled in
‘Room to Move’, the cover story of the ECO lift–out in the Sydney
Morning Herald on Tuesday 15th February.

The article discusses some of the issues faced by governments in
preparing these strategies, as well as the concerns of conservation
groups such as the Nature Conservation Council and Australian
Conservation Foundation.

The full article is attached to this email in addition to a flier for
‘Biodiversity or Bust', a forum being facilitated by the Nature
Conservation Council to inform participants on how the Sydney
Metropolitan Strategy will impact on urban ecosystems and to stimulate
debate and discussion about the Strategy.

<<...>>

Here is the Itinerary and Registration form

The Murray Darling Association are organising a Bus tour of the Lower Lakes and Coorong.

It is a 3 day / 2 night tour which will take in the Lower Lakes, Murray Mouth and Coorong. The tour will incorporate the history, industries, and challenges of this area plus how the problems of salinity and water regulation need to be addressed from a Regional perspective.

We are looking for people to participate in the tour.

Please feel free to email this through your contacts.

Cheers

Trudi

Trudi Duffield
Marketing and Promotions Officer
Murray Darling Association Inc.

Office  Level 7 Reserve Bank Building
        182 Victoria Square, Adelaide, South Australia

Mail    PO Box 89 Rundle Mall
        Adelaide, South Australia 5000

Phone   + 61 8 8226 0511

Fax     + 61 8 8226 0584

Website  www.mda.asn.au

Are you interested in being a member of the Murray Darling Association?

The Association welcomes new members and their involvement in our various activities. We encourage you to become part of the largest non-government, not for profit organisation with an interest in the future of the Murray-Darling Basin. Click on the link to be a member

www.savethemurray.com An Internet portal dedicated to educating, engaging and empowering the community to clean up and protect the health of the River Murray and its surrounds.

The Murray Darling Association are organising a Bus tour of the Lower Lakes and Coorong.

It is a 3 day / 2 night tour which will take in the Lower Lakes, Murray Mouth and Coorong. The tour will incorporate the history, industries, and challenges of this area plus how the problems of salinity and water regulation need to be addressed from a Regional perspective.

We are looking for people to participate in the tour.

Please feel free to email this through your contacts.

Cheers

Trudi

Trudi Duffield
Marketing and Promotions Officer
Murray Darling Association Inc.

Office  Level 7 Reserve Bank Building
        182 Victoria Square, Adelaide, South Australia

Mail    PO Box 89 Rundle Mall
        Adelaide, South Australia 5000

Phone   + 61 8 8226 0511

Fax     + 61 8 8226 0584

Website  www.mda.asn.au

Are you interested in being a member of the Murray Darling Association?

The Association welcomes new members and their involvement in our various activities. We encourage you to become part of the largest non-government, not for profit organisation with an interest in the future of the Murray-Darling Basin. Click on the link to be a member

www.savethemurray.com An Internet portal dedicated to educating, engaging and empowering the community to clean up and protect the health of the River Murray and its surrounds.

By being held in the Barossa Valley, South Australia the conference hopes to achieve an exchange of information between the Rural Upper and Lower Urban region about the practices being undertaken to be sustainable and awareness regarding the most important resource for our future....Water.  For further information about the Barossa Conference and other interesting events being held by the Murray Darling Association visit www.mda.asn.au and click on "Events" on the left of the page.

The Australian Network for Plant Conservation and the South Australian Department of Environment and Heritage invite you to Adelaide to exchange ideas and to participate in discussions on the challenges that currently face us all in plant conservation.  Whether these be challenges of changing climates, changing environmental conditions, changes in government and policy focus, or confronting scientific information, this conference will stimulate consideration and participation.  For further information visit www.anbg.gov.au/anpc/index.html and click on the conference link.

The Transport and Population Data Centre (TPDC) of the NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (DIPNR) is pleased to host the 28th Australasian Transport Research Forum (ATRF05) along with representatives from key transport agencies, educational institutions and transport professionals.  For further information visit www.planning.nsw.gov.au/tpdc/atrf05/index.html

How do I join?

To join the Australian Urban NRM Network send an email to
UrbNRM-subscribe@...

How do I contribute?

Contributions to the "Australian Urban NRM Network Update" and network website are very welcome - email to UrbNRM-owner@...

Can I use material from UrbNRM?

Yes, please feel free to use information from the Australian Urban NRM Network (UrbNRM) in your newsletters, network emails etc.

How do I unsubscribe?

To unsubscribe send an email to UrbNRM-unsubscribe@...

What is Australian Urban NRM Network (UrbNRM)?

The Australian Urban Natural Resource Management (NRM) Network provides a forum for the exchange and discussion of ideas, innovations, issues and solutions to assist in the conservation and management of the natural resources of Australia's major urban areas.  The Australian Urban NRM Network (UrbNRM) includes regular email updates and useful links and calendar dates, with additional items added regularly.

-----------------------------------------------------
This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.
-----------------------------------------------------

Up to date information about grants, resources and publications
Q-links is a monthly bulletin prepared by the Queensland Landcare Foundation. The bulletin contains timely information about grants and awards; resources; publications; conferences and training; events; research and development; and community news. The bulletin is targeted to individuals and groups working in the natural resource management and conservation sectors and subscription is free.

With more than 1000 people already on the distribution list, this highly regarded resource is one you can't afford to miss.

· To subscribe to Q-links, send a blank email to q-links-subscribe@....
· To contribute to Q-links (maximum one paragraph), contact sam@....

____________________________________
Samantha Morris, Queensland Landcare Foundation
Level 2, 183 North Quay  Q  4000
Ph:  07) 3211 4413,  Fx: 07) 3211 4407, Mb: 0421 709 519
sam@...

Fighting fire with fire Bernard Lane 01Feb05 'IF I had a helicopter one week a year I could manage the whole of Blue Mountains National Park," says Brian Williams, who has served 20 years as a NSW local bushfire captain. Williams doesn't believe those who say fuel-reduction burning - good for bush health, good for human safety - is just too hard. But bureaucracy can make it hard to strike a match. "It took us six years to get approval to burn an area of the national park that was a major firepath into [the NSW mountain town of] Kurrajong Heights," recalls Williams. Things have got better since the mid-1990s, he says, but more needs to be done. Every year another 2tonnes of fuel falls to the forest floor yet very little fuel-reduction burning's been done deep in the national park, says Williams. And at 30 tonnes a hectare, wildfire can become unstoppable and highly destructive. "I look on the park as a big farm," says Williams. "Currently we've got the Pitt Street farmers running it. We need to get the practical cockies back in." The misery and politics of bushfire have made a dramatic return on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. By a quirk of timing, January also brought the recommendations of the first independent national inquiry into bushfire mitigation for two decades. That inquiry has come up with no fewer than eight reasons why it's become harder to carry out the cool, controlled burns that can prevent intense, hot wildfire. These constraints range from lack of money and skilled staff through risk-averse decision-makers to complaints about smoke. "... some 25 to 50 per cent of fire-prone landscapes in NSW would have to be burnt annually to achieve a fuel load of less than 8 tonnes a hectare. This represents 15 million hectares of forest, woodland, shrubland and heathland a year. The magnitude of this task makes it unachievable, even if there were no detrimental consequences for environmental assets," the report says. Bushfires bring destruction, inquiries and bitter argument. In the severe fire season of 2002-2003, 10 lives were lost, property damage exceeded $400 million, and vast tracts of landscape were devastated. Canberra's fires perhaps are most clearly remembered. South of the city is the federal electorate of Eden-Monaro, whose member, Gary Nairn, chaired a House of Representatives bushfire inquiry. His 2003 committee report, A Nation Charred, claimed that fire agencies and park managers had let fuel levels get dangerously high. Bushfire used to be seen as a risk to be reduced by land managers. Now they waited until it was an emergency for disaster managers. And without proper mitigation, even the best fire suppression could do little in extreme conditions. These conclusions emerged chiefly from local volunteer firefighters and bushfire experts. Major state agencies -- including those responsible for fire-fighting and national parks in NSW and Victoria -- boycotted Nairn's inquiry. Bushfire politics got entangled in the divide between the federal Coalition and state Labor. Enter the latest inquiry, set up by the Council of Australian Governments. This, too, is a legacy of the 2002-2003 fires. The inquiry panel attempted to balance sometimes conflicting interests by bringing together an ex-fire chief (Stuart Ellis), a forester (Peter Kanowski) and an ecologist (Robert Whelan) who chairs the National Parks Advisory Council. Their report speaks of "compelling evidence" that fuel-reduction burns work. Yet they also complain of a "dearth of empirical data". They say it is "crucially important" that more be done to deal with those eight constraints on burning. Yet they also say these constraints must be "accommodated" and that burning has to become more "strategic," following the erratic, ever-expanding frontier between city sprawl and bush. The ultimate impression is that fire agencies are doing pretty much the best that can be expected. Ellis, who left a distinguished career as a soldier to serve five years as chief of South Australia's Country Fire Authority, says: "[Fuel reduction burning] is a very important measure. It can't be universally applied, but we do need to do more of it. [However] people generally underestimate the resources and skills required to undertake fire-reduction burns." Like the report, like the fire agencies, he argues for "strategic" burns. "If we do 100,000ha in western NSW it matters diddly squat but if we do 10,000ha around urban areas it's very significant in reducing the risk," he says. The inquiry's warning that "fuel-reduction burning should not be seen as a panacea" has been seized upon by fire agencies; it is seen as vindicating them against their critics. One such critic is Stewart McArthur, federal MP, a farmer before politics, and a member of the Stretton group. Named after an exemplary Victorian bushfire inquirer of the 1930s, this group believes that more burning for safety and ecology would be done were it not for deep-green sentiment, sectional politics and craven or misinformed land managers. Has this unholy alliance been confronted by the Ellis inquiry? McArthur is not reassured: "The report is paying lip-service to fuel-reduction burning." He questions the report's insistence on more research. He says the case for more burning is already well established; of the 500-odd submissions to the Nairn committee -- McArthur was a member -- "about 95 per cent" favoured a vigorous regime of fuel-reduction burning. He recalls one of the few sceptics as being ecologist Robert Whelan, who served on the COAG inquiry panel. Whelan supports fuel-reduction burns but "in a targeted way to protect lives and property" and not "extensively across the landscape". One reason for his objection to broad-scale burns is that, even if they were a good idea, there might not be the resources available to carry them out. As a bushfire brigade captain, Williams readily agrees burning demands resources. Yet he says it is so-called "strategic" burning that is labour-intensive. And it's not the best investment. He says less drastic burns, deeper in the forest, can be done more easily; fires ignited on ridge tops by helicopter, for example. In this way, an Aboriginal-like mosaic of burns would move across the landscape over 15-20 years, making it much harder for wildfire to work up the intensity and momentum it needs. And this would be better protection not only for the city fringe but deep within the national parks, he says. Resources -- finding enough money and people who know what they're doing -- remain a vexed issue. The COAG report calls for an "acceleration of research" into fuel loads, how fire behaves and ecology responds. "It's going to be hard to accelerate research," says Jim Gould of CSIRO, who works with the new Bushfire Co-operative Research Centre. "We don't have the skill base of bushfire researchers to fill the positions." For the Stretton group, it's a question of independence, not just finance. The group points to the heavy fire agency presence within the CRC. Gould defends this kind of partnership between science and those who use the results. "It's a very positive thing," he says. A CRC research project will have a big say in the future of the new National Aerial Fire Fighting Centre. Water bombers -- anything from small aircraft through to Elvis, the Erickson Aircrane, with 9000-litre water capacity -- can be very expensive, good publicity for emergency managers and of doubtful use. In 2002-2003, NSW spent $100 million on aircraft and at the height of the season, sent up 103 aircraft in a single day. With resources elsewhere so tight, the COAG report has questioned this multimillion dollar spending. It says the increasing resort to aerial firefighting lacks "sufficient scientific evaluation" and urges the CRC to give "considerable emphasis" to its three-year review of how best to use aircraft in bushfires. A common view is that aircraft must be used early in a fire -- they were called in one day too late in the fatal Eyre Peninsula fires -- and in close harmony with ground crews. The CSIRO told the Ellis inquiry that "small to medium helicopters are no more effective in suppressing fires than crew with hand tools". And once fire becomes intense -- with a flame height of 3m or more -- water bombing may be little help. "It's become so political that you've got to have Elvis around," says Athol Hodgson, a former fire chief with 50 years' experience in Australia, the US, Canada, France and Spain. "There seems to be an attitude building that unless you've got aircraft involved you're not fighting the fire properly." The chief executive of the Australasian Fire Authorities Council, Len Foster, agrees that the role of aircraft can be overplayed. But he says high-capacity aircraft such as the Erickson Aircrane are here to stay. "They're becoming increasingly more important on the urban interface [where city meets bush]. I've seen them save a row of million-dollar homes. Unfortunately, these aircraft capture the media [attention] and members of the community think they are the panacea." No single measure for bushfire mitigation -- not aircraft, not fuel-reduction burning -- encounters outright opposition. It's the best mix that is disputed -- and the argument is no clearer for taking place in a haze of emotion and politics. Bernard Lane is The Australian's environment writer. © The Australian

-----------------------------------------------------
This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.
-----------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------
This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.
-----------------------------------------------------

This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.

This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Catchment Management Authority.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.

This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.

This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.

The report of, and Council of Australian Governments (COAG) response to, the National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management has been released.  The report Introductions and Recommendations are attached, and the full report and and response are available from the COAG website at www.coagbushfireinquiry.gov.au

Below is a media release from Prime Minister John Howard announcing the release of the report and response.

COAG RESPONSE TO THE NATIONAL INQUIRY ON BUSHFIRE MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT
24 January 2005
http://www.pm.gov.au/news/media_releases/media_Release1208.html

Following agreement from all state and territory governments, I can today release the report of, and COAG response to, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management.

I announced this National Inquiry on 10 October 2003 and the report of the Inquiry, chaired by Mr Stuart Ellis AM, was provided to me in April 2004.  All state and territory governments have carefully considered the recommendations and have now agreed a joint response with the Federal Government.  Although the report and response have not been released until today, all states and territories have been able to use the report as a basis for planning responses to bushfires.  The report and response are available from the COAG website at www.coagbushfireinquiry.gov.au.

The report includes 29 recommendations to improve bushfire preparedness.  Eight of these recommendations have already been implemented.  This includes continued national funding for fire fighting aircraft and development of agreements for emergency broadcasting with the ABC.

My Government announced funding of $16.5 million over three years in the 2004-05 Budget for the National Aerial Fire Fighting Centre.  I also announced in September 2004 that the Australian Government would provide $24 million over the next three years towards national bushfire preparedness.  This funding is in addition to the Australian Government’s commitment of $68.5 million for the Natural Disaster Mitigation Programme, announced in the 2003-04 Budget, which brings the total allocation for the programme between 2003-04 and 2007-08 to $103.3 million.

The report focuses on opportunities to improve national cooperation and management of fire fighting resources.  We can not prevent bushfires but we can be better prepared so we minimise their impact on life and property.  The report highlights the need for a better understanding of risk, a greater focus on mitigation and better cooperation across jurisdictions.  The Council of Australian Governments has decided that the Augmented Australasian Police Ministers’ Council will have a lead role in coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the report’s recommendations.

I wish to acknowledge the cooperation of the states and territories in this process and to thank all those, especially the volunteers around the country, who fight to save lives and property.  The recent terrible tragedy on the Eyre Peninsula, and the fires around Perth, should increase our resolve to ensure we are all better prepared to meet the threat of bushfires.

This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.

Dear Janice
Mangement of urban runoff is THE issue for Sydney bushland - and
biodiversity. Unfortunately i think because of the lack of understanding of
native vegetation, bushland is low on the priority for water management yet
it is the main cause of weed infestation and loss of bushland (after
destruction of course).

Dr Michelle Leishman (Macquarie University) has identified Phosphorus as the
culprit, at least in Sydney sandstone veg. - water alone does not promote
weeds over natives. As we will never be able to reduce P to pre -european
levels we have to find ways to reduce impacts of stormwater on bushland.
Unfortunately the bush has traditionally been regarded as the best place to
dump runoff as it will help filter before entering water bodies.
Hence bush regenerators (I am one) have struggled for decades with trying to
find an effective yet economical way of dealing with stormwater - both in
terms of existing problems and ideas for greenfield developments.

Most attempts on existing problem sites just transfer the problem further
downhill/stream, thus degrading more good bush.

Detention basins which reduce the volume but extend the time over which the
water is dissipated simply keep the drain line constantly moist exacerbating
the weed problem and may cause large trees to topple in windy conditions as
the roots cannot hold in the soggy soil.

Obviously it is best if the rain that falls on a site is kept on that site -
but i don't know the solution - BASIX may help in encouraging rainwater
tanks.

In terms of the bush one thing to keep in mind is that it is the 'first
flush'  that is the major problem as it is most concentrated in pollutants
(ie P). It is the small (more frequent) rain events that are the problem,
not the heavy downpours, although they are a secondary problem because of
erosion.

Please let me know if i can help.
regards
Jane Gye



----- Original Message -----
From: "Horsfield, Janice" <Janice.Horsfield@...>
To: <UrbNRM@...>
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 4:30 PM
Subject: [UrbNRM] Seeking feedback - Constructed Wetlands


>
>
> Dear UrbNRM members,
>
> I am doing some research for TAFE, on what has been happening with
Constructed Wetlands.  The bottom line for TAFE is are there any training
needs/opportunities.
>
> While the research has concentrated on stormwater wetlands, I would like
to get a feel for community interest in wetlands.  In lots of urban
developments constructed wetlands are being  built and used to help remove
some pollutants from run-off water before it enters streams.  Constructed
wetlands are also being used as part of an urban planning technology known
own as Water Sensitive Urban Design, which is basically a series of devices
which encourage rainwater infiltration to the ground or slow and improve
water quality before it goes into streams.  With this in mind...
>
> 1. Are you interested in wetlands?
> 1. Why are you interested in wetlands and what would you like to know?
> 2. How do you believe TAFE could be involved in assisting you in
increasing your understanding about wetlands and sustainable water use?
>
> I am keen for your feedback on janice.horsfield@...
>
> Thanks,
>
> Janice Horsfield
> Sustainable Water Management Project - Constructed Wetlands
> TAFE NSW - Riverina Institute
> National Environment Centre
> T:  02 6043 6700   F:  02 6043 6721
> M:  0427 710 280
> janice.horsfield@...
> PO Box 827
> Albury  NSW   2640
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Dear UrbNRM members,

I am doing some research for TAFE, on what has been happening with Constructed
Wetlands.  The bottom line for TAFE is are there any training
needs/opportunities.

While the research has concentrated on stormwater wetlands, I would like to get
a feel for community interest in wetlands.  In lots of urban developments
constructed wetlands are being  built and used to help remove some pollutants
from run-off water before it enters streams.  Constructed wetlands are also
being used as part of an urban planning technology known own as Water Sensitive
Urban Design, which is basically a series of devices which encourage rainwater
infiltration to the ground or slow and improve water quality before it goes into
streams.  With this in mind...

1. Are you interested in wetlands?
1. Why are you interested in wetlands and what would you like to know?
2. How do you believe TAFE could be involved in assisting you in increasing your
understanding about wetlands and sustainable water use?

I am keen for your feedback on janice.horsfield@...

Thanks,

Janice Horsfield
Sustainable Water Management Project - Constructed Wetlands
TAFE NSW - Riverina Institute
National Environment Centre
T:  02 6043 6700   F:  02 6043 6721
M:  0427 710 280
janice.horsfield@...
PO Box 827
Albury  NSW   2640

Please visit http://www.nrmseq.com/ to view the January edition of NRM SEQ Board
Shorts.  The large file version can be found in the 'What's New' box.  The small
file for easy downloading can be found in the 'Quick Links' box on the right of
the page.

All the best for 2005!

Regards
Amy Russell
NRM SEQ Regional Operations Manager

The company reported that if the city did not implement any strategies to reduce its water consumption, usage would have to be cut by a staggering 51 per cent.

The Brisbane City Council and the State Government had designed extensive programs to slash the amount of water consumed by residential and industrial users.

However, Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said yesterday most ratepayers were ignoring the city's campaign to turn off the taps.

Four years ago, Brisbane consumed 300 litres of water a day for each person.

By 2003 that figure had dropped only slightly to 277 litres a person.

The council has estimated that by 2010, consumption rates should be reduced by 18 per cent.

The State Government has been more ambitious, marking a 25 per cent cut as its goal in the South East Queensland Regional Plan.

"My sense is that there's a percentage of people who are starting to understand," Cr Newman said. "They are the early adopters, they are particularly environmentally conscious.

"The majority of people – more than 50 per cent – probably don't know anything about it at this stage. They don't think it is an issue."

Water Services Australia executive director Ross Young said the water situation in Queensland was well controlled because the Brisbane and Gold Coast councils had plans dedicated to the issue.

But if Brisbane failed to implement improvements it would be the second-worst capital for water wastage in Australia. Sydney would be the worst, needing to cut its water usage by 54 per cent.

Dependence on water in Queensland is increasing heavily as an estimated 55,000 people moved to the state in the past year.

Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson said the responsibility of the State Government to address the demand had increased beyond simply building more dams.

However, land had been bought as possible new dam sites.

The State Government will begin the second phase of its water supply strategy next month, a move that will chart demand for the next 50 years.

"There are a range of supply issues, we have been buying land for the past 10 years as storage sites across southeast Queensland," Mr Robertson said.

"The capability of these storage sites has been factored into the water supply strategies. But it is not just a case of new dams being the answer."

Urban Development Institute state executive director Brian Stewart said he believed a more co-ordinated approach by governments was needed to reduce not only water but also energy usage.

This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.

Dam levels dip again
By Saffron Howden
January 6, 2005

WITH Australia still parched from last year's record high temperatures,
the first week of 2005 started ominously in New South Wales, with a
decline in water supplies.

Water levels across the main dams fell by 0.4 of a per cent in the past
week, reducing capacity to just 43.1 per cent.

Warragamba dam - the main source of water for Sydneysiders - has fallen
0.1 of a per cent to 38.5 per cent of capacity.

The decline in water levels comes despite rainfalls of 10mm in the
Illawarra and Nepean for the week and 5mm across Warragamba and the
Shoalhaven.

Fears that drinking water supplies were diminishing rapidly prompted
the introduction of water restrictions by the NSW government last year.


A report into a possible desalination plant to combat declining
supplies is expected mid-year, but environmentalists have criticised the
plan.

Such a plant would pump 255,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere each year, according to the Nature Conservation Council of
NSW.

Water-saving devices installed in homes and business, and the reuse of
treated storm and effluent water should be adopted instead, the council
said.

This position was favoured by the State Opposition as well.

Residents would not have to curb their water use if recycling systems
were in place across the city, Opposition utilities spokesman Brad
Hazzard said.

"There are 1100 Olympic pools worth of sewage water that go out into
the Pacific Ocean every day.

"If that water was actually reused - and there are companies in Sydney
in Australia that want to be able to reuse that water - then we would
see a marked difference in the available water supplies in Sydney," Mr
Hazzard said.

Australia's annual mean temperature was 0.45C above the 1961-1990
long-term average, making 2004 the 10th warmest year since 1910,
according to the Bureau of Meteorology's Annual Australian Climate
Summary released today.







Tabatha Timbery-Cann
Natural Resource Officer
Aboriginal Support
Department of Infrastructure,
Planning and Natural Resources
PH 8957907
Fax 98957501
This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain
confidential/privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient,
please delete it and notify the sender.
Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not
necessarily the views of the Department.

You should scan any attached files for viruses.