Water Affecting Activities
The NRM Act and Part 4: NRM Policy of the South East Regional NRM Plan outlines WAAs which, when undertaken, may require a permit from the SE NRM Board. These include, but are not limited to:
Dams:
§ The construction or enlargement of dams or structures to collect or divert water, e.g. dam, wall or other structure, weir, channelling a watercourse, piping from a watercourse, diversion channel.
Watercourses or lakes:
§ The erection, construction or placement of any building or other structure in a watercourse or lake or on the floodplain of a watercourse. e.g. pump house, culvert, wetland management works, a crossing point or bridge.
§ Draining or discharging water directly or indirectly into a watercourse or lake, e.g. pipes, culverts, side entry pits and stormwater.
§ Depositing or placing an object or solid material in a watercourse or lake, e.g. erosion control, structures, rip-rap rocks, filling in a watercourse, dumping rubbish in a watercourse, culverts and water crossings.
§ Obstructing a watercourse or lake in any other manner, e.g. planting vegetation, erosion control works.
§ Depositing or placing an object or solid material on the floodplain of a watercourse, or near the bank or shore of a lake, to control flooding from the watercourse or lake, e.g. levees.
§ Destroying vegetation growing in a watercourse or lake, or growing on the floodplain of a watercourse, e.g. removal or destruction of trees, shrubs, reeds and/or grasses.
§ Excavating or removing rock, sand or soil from a watercourse or lake or the floodplain of a watercourse or an area near to the banks of a lake, so as to damage, or create the likelihood of damage to, the banks of the lake, e.g. sand mining, desilting wetlands, swamps or springs.
Prior to issuing a permit, the board will assess the permit application against the principles and objectives outlined in the Regional NRM Plan and, if the activity is proposed to take place in the Morambro Creek Prescribed Area, the principles and objectives outlined in the Morambro Creek Water Allocation Plan.
Clearance of Common Reeds and Bulrushes
The Native Vegetation Council Guideline “Clearance of Common Reeds Phragmites australis and Bulrushes Typha domingensi”
The clearance guidelines outlines the circumstances where clearance of common reeds and bulrushes requires referral to the Native Vegetation Council Secretariat (Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources).
Should the clearance be exempt from requiring referral to the Native Vegetation Council Secretariat, a permit from the board is required. Where the clearance is referred to the Native Vegetation Council, a permit from the board is not required.