Download Minutes - Independent Scientific Audit of Marine Parks

Independent Scientific Audit of
Marine Parks in NSW
PO Box H292, Australia Square NSW 1215
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.marineparksaudit.nsw.gov.au
Workshop 3
Summary
1.40–2.45pm, Friday 2 December 2011
Room 1043, Parliament House
6 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW
Attendees:
Assoc Prof Bob Beeton, Chair
Prof Peter Fairweather
Assoc Prof Emma Johnston
Ms Petrina Alcock, Secretariat Manager
Dr Fiona Powell, Secretariat
Dr John Chapman, Manager of the Ecotoxicology & Environmental Contaminants Section, Office of
Environment and Heritage
Dr Klaus Koop, Director, Environment and Conservation Science, Office of Environment and
Heritage
Mr Peter Marczan, Manager Technical Advisory Unit, Water, Office of Environment and Heritage
Mr Tim Pritchard, Manager, Waters and Coastal Science Section, Office of Environment and
Heritage
Dr Peter Scanes, Head, Coastal Waters Unit, Office of Environment and Heritage
Apologies:
Prof Colin Buxton
Mr Greg Cutbush
Dr Roberta Ryan
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The views expressed at all workshops are those of the individual participants. They do not
necessarily reflect the views of the NSW Government, the views of all the workshop participants or
the views of the Audit Panel.
The Chair welcomed attendees, provided a background to the Audit and explained Audit
procedures.
Participants discussed the management of diffuse and point source pollution in NSW. It was
suggested management of diffuse pollution is a shared responsibility, with priority areas identified in
the NSW Diffuse Source Water Pollution Strategy. Point source pollution is addressed by a suite of
rigorous legislation. Matters to be taken into account under legislation include values of the
waterway, the definition of which goes back to the National Water Quality Management Strategy,
making this a key strategy.
Research that has focused on sewerage outfalls but found only minor impacts of these on the NSW
offshore marine environment was discussed. Participants indicated these studies included
controlled impact assessment monitoring and research focused on actual and potential impacts of
ocean outfalls, as well as extensive risk assessment programs for discharge points across Sydney
Water’s entire sewerage system, including estuarine environments. It was suggested license
requirements reflect the recommendations of these programs.
Participants discussed the Monitoring Evaluation and Reporting (MER) program, which includes an
estuary component where 120 estuaries are regularly sampled. Some estuaries have been
monitored for longer than others. There is sufficient data from Tuggerah and Great Lakes to show
improved water quality in these areas and results indicate impacts are restricted to inner areas of
urbanized estuaries.
It was suggested the relatively restricted impacts of point source pollution may not be understood by
the public. Participants suggested there is strong interaction with local communities when regional
pollution management plans are developed; the problem of communicating to the public is
recognized and some groups within Office of Environment and Heritage have worked extensively
with local councils in educating the public. For instance, report cards are available online to
communicate water quality monitoring outcomes within the Great Lakes local government area.
It was suggested the NSW government supports the development of Catchment Management Plans
and that there is a strong level of community interaction where such plans are developed. It was
suggested Catchment Management Authority Catchment Action Plans also incorporate community
engagement.
Alternatives to deep ocean outfalls for sewage were discussed including treatment to a higher level,
source control and finding other uses for the resource.
Participants indicated oysters were extensively monitored in the mid 1990s but, with the exception
of the Newcastle area, no problems were identified in terms of pH, trace metals or persistent
organic compounds such as organochlorines.
Participants discussed other techniques to monitor contaminants in addition to oysters, such as
passive samplers. Participants also suggested that it is, in theory, possible to use remote sensing to
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monitor chlorophyll as a surrogate for algal biomass in the water column (promoted by excess
nutrients) and turbidity as a surrogate for water clarity which can affect light penetration necessary
to support benthic communities such as those associated with sea grasses. It was further
suggested that such surrogate models, based on remote sensed data, require rigorous calibration to
define and validate suitable applications.
It was suggested an effective means of monitoring pollution is to monitor biota or biomarkers, for
example enzymes from pollution. There is still some work to be done to develop suitable biomarkers
and to establish links with environmental exposure or effects from chemicals, particularly emerging
contaminants such as flame retardants and perfluorinated compounds. One specific marker is
imposex resulting from tributyltin (TBT) exposure. Participants discussed the effects of TBT based
antifouling paints for boats on the sexual characteristics of gastropods and historically contaminated
estuarine sediment, such as that at Homebush Bay in Sydney Harbour.
Participants indicated it was expected that the chemical contamination levels in marine parks are
likely to be low.
Participants suggested that as the oyster study (see above) is now 15 years old, new studies with
different biomarkers are worthy of consideration. Passive samplers can now also be used to
monitor pollution.
Participants suggested prioritizing estuaries for sampling, as it is in these habitats that pollutants are
likely to be first apparent. The Commonwealth register of all new chemicals coming into use in
Australia was discussed.
It was put to the Panel that ANZECC guidelines are used for water quality management in NSW
through environment protection licenses for point sources and in planning assessment processes.
Participants indicated that when applying these guidelines for proposals that could impact on marine
parks, guideline values for high conservation value areas would be expected to be applied unless
local information supported a different level of protection.
It was suggested scientists have yet to determine the full range of chemicals present in the marine
environment and whether any are having an effect. It was suggested nutrients and sediments are a
demonstrated problem especially in poorly flushed estuaries with changed catchment land use.
Participants discussed a current revision of water quality guidelines. Participants indicated that the
current Australian Water Quality Guidelines provide more guideline information on toxicants and
stressors for freshwater than for marine waters.
Participants suggested there is a reasonably good understanding of catchment land use and the
levels of disturbance in all NSW estuaries and that this provides a good indication of estuarine
condition. Many of the estuaries that are in good condition are in National Parks and adjacent to
Marine Parks. Further, recent data analyses showed turbidity and concentrations of chlorophyll
were significantly lower in estuaries determined to be in good condition, supporting these estuaries
as points of reference.
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It was suggested the categorization of estuaries is working well; there are distinct differences
between estuaries ranked as being in different conditions rather than gradual changes from one
estuary to the next. Participants suggested data from disturbed estuaries are starting to be used by
Catchment Management Authorities to guide land use decisions. It was suggested that emerging
pollutants are always a challenge; similarly there is always the possibility that there are unknown
pollutants present.
It was suggested that unlike in Western Australia, there are no dead zones in any estuaries in New
South Wales.
Participants discussed the management of marine parks for increased resilience of marine
biodiversity. It was suggested the term ‘resilience’ has been used in a range of ways with few
studies demonstrating how it can be effectively quantified and communicated but that many
jurisdictions (including NSW) are collaborating on studies of aspects of resilience such as a current
study on seagrass in Port Phillip, Victoria.
It was suggested 30–40 of the larger NSW estuaries support most of the seagrass. It was further
suggested temporal sequence data from approximately 30 of these showed few changes in
seagrass distribution in recent years, refuting claims that most of the seagrass in NSW has been
lost.
Work on seagrass by Rob Williams at NSW Fisheries was discussed. It was suggested large areas
of seagrass may have been lost in the 1940s or 1950s, probably due to high turbidity, and now
seagrass may even by re-establishing.
Participants discussed management of litter. It was suggested gross pollutant traps collect litter at
source points and that litter most obviously affects charismatic megafauna; its impacts on overall
biodiversity are unclear, although there are also thought to be impacts on microscopic fauna. It was
suggested international agreements and Commonwealth laws have resulted in disposal of dredge
material at sea being well policed in NSW.
Stormwater management by local councils was discussed and it was suggested that management
is improving as assets are progressively updated and past practices are improved with Government
providing grant funding, guidance and ability for councils to raise stormwater charges to improve
stormwater management. The multi-billion dollar value of stormwater assets and legacy of past
decisions was discussed.
Participants discussed pollution management at marinas. It was suggested there has been a
significant Government effort to improve performance of marinas and slipways with inspection
campaigns carried out by the Environment Protection Authority, often with local councils, on both
large and small marinas and slipways with the majority of marinas and slipways visited over time. It
was suggested that along with guidelines for smaller operations, marinas over a certain size are
obliged to hold an environmental protection license and to abide by the requirements on those
licenses. Guidelines have also been published for smaller facilities.
Participants discussed the industrial legacy, especially in estuarine environments in NSW. It was
suggested that where there are contaminated sites the first step is to eliminate the source of
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contamination, which would be followed by natural deposition of cleaner sediments over time or in
some cases remediation. Indications were given that while some of the most contaminated areas of
sediments are identified and mapped, most are not mapped. Participants also indicated that under
current planning legislation it is now mandated that prior to any maritime based development or
dredging, sediment testing is required to identify any contaminants present.
Participants indicated major dredging operations in contaminated areas in the Hunter Estuary and
Homebush Bay had the potential to mobilise contaminants but stringent operational controls and
monitoring conditions by OEH have ensured that release of contaminants has been minimized.
It was put to the Panel that pollution control mechanisms, particularly for point source pollution, are
working reasonably well in NSW, with greater emphasis now being targeted to diffuse pollution. It
was suggested periodic surveillance monitoring may be cost effective in targeting priorities.
Participants identified ocean acidification and changes to the shoreline resulting from or in response
to climate change as key future threats to the NSW marine environment.
Participants discussed the effects of land use and acid sulphate soils on the marine environment in
northern NSW.
Participants discussed national water quality management objectives and how these feed into the
work of the Environmental Protection Agency and planning.
The Chair closed the workshop at 2.45pm.
Supplementary workshop material participants offered to provide:

Waterway and catchment report cards

Wilson 2009, Current imposex and TBT levels in gastropods from the NSW coast

Further information on marina pollution management.
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