4/07/06

Cudgen, Cudgera and Mooball Creeks are three small estuaries located along the Northern New South Wales coast between Kingscliff and Wooyung. They have high conservation and recreational value to Tweed residents and visitors.

Estuary Management Plans have been prepared for the three Estuaries to carefully manage, maintain and conserve the natural resources which are under pressure from urban development and recreation. 

Cudgen Creek has its mouth near Kingscliff. It follows a meandering course 9.4 km in length, commencing at Cudgen Lake. Catchment area 66km².

Cudgen Lake has an area of 1.65km² and the depth is mostly less than 2m.

Cudgera Creek has its mouth at Hastings Point. One branch commences on the eastern side of the Burringbar Ranges and the other near Pottsville 3.5km south.   Catchment area 50km².

Mooball Creek is the largest and most southern of the three creeks. One branch runs parallel to the coastal dunes, extending 9km south. Catchment area 117km².

The land on the bed of the creeks below the mean high water mark is crown land and administered by DL&WC.

The lower reaches of all the creeks are used for recreational activities such as swimming, walking, fishing and boating.

The land fringing Cudgen, Cudgera and Mooball Creeks has significant ecological and conservation value. The region is within the overlap of warm temperate to tropical zones and as a consequence plant species, animal species and habitats are diverse.

The management plans for each of these creeks considers habitat enhancement and conservation, urban development, water quality, bank stability and increased recreational use.

• Healthy estuaries

• Good water quality

• Stable stream banks

• Natural riparian and instream vegetation

• Fauna friendly environment (No clashing with recreation)

• Accessible to a range of recreational usage

• Education of the community about threatened species

• Appropriate disposal of stormwater and wastewater

• Source control (minimisation)

• Provision of bins on rock walls etc for fishing line or other rubbish

• Signage for sensitive areas etc.

• Review of the speed limits in the river/estuary

• Banning of PWC

• Remedial measures taken on the Cudgera Bridge if possible

Creek Hydraulics and Morphology

Cudgen, Cudgera and Mooball Creeks are typical small north coast creeks. They have dynamic, congested, sandy entrances which control their tidal and morphological characteristics. The lower, tidal reaches of the creeks run parallel to the coast having migrated northwards as a response to the northerly littoral sand drift.

In their natural state the entrances to the creeks have become congested or closed over during periods of sand build up and then reopened during heavy rain, flooding or beach erosion. Since the 1950’s the creek entrances have remained open because of construction of training walls (Cudgen and Mooball) and dredging (Cudgera).

Other factors influencing the creeks include bridge abutments, historical sand mining and construction of groynes.

All the creeks are experiencing on going bank erosion due to natural processes, uncontrolled public access, boat wash and sand mining.

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Flooding

The building of training walls and dredging mitigates flooding while filling of intertidal flats and floodplains by development and constrictive bridge abutments increases the risk of flooding.

Water Quality

The water quality in the creeks is dependent upon the activities in the catchment areas. Poor agricultural and urban development practices can increase pollution runoff, siltation and exposure of acid sulphate soils.

Water quality will be best protected and enhanced by following the guidelines and recommendations of ANZECC (2000), the NSW EPA, and the Healthy Rivers Commission reports. The Strategy proposes adoption of the key indicators and criteria developed for the Tweed River Water Quality Objectives as a starting point for setting of objectives for the three Tweed Coast estuaries, until other objectives are formed.

Water quality expresses the health of catchment management as well as estuary management. The second major component of the Strategy should therefore be focussed and effective catchment management, particularly under the Northern Rivers Blueprint.

All new development should comply with all relevant Government and Council Policies, with adequate resources devoted to enforcement. Failure to ensure that development complies with regulation decreases community confidence in the government and feeds into lack of support for future strategic actions and plans.

All new development should be assessed in the context of the Water Sensitive Urban Design approach to water management of all kinds, including supply, treatment, and return to the water cycle. Opportunities to encourage green offsets and habitat rehabilitation by developers should be maximised, including making green offsets and rehabilitation a condition of the developments. Dedication of sensitive lands to Council should also be promoted.

The objective of Buffer Zones is to protect and enhance scenic quality, water quality, aquatic ecosystems, bio-diversity and wildlife habitat and corridors. The Tweed Local Environmental Plan 2000 under the Local Government Act 1993 require Buffer Zones for development in or near areas that are environmentally sensitive, potentially hazardous or require special consideration. This clause applies to land that adjoins the mean high-water mark (or the bank where there is no mean high-water mark) of a waterbody (such as streams, lakes, estuaries, canals etc). Details for the situations where hazard and buffer zones apply can be accessed through the Tweed Local Environmental Plan 2000, section 31.

The minimum 50 metre buffer zone around the estuary banks recommended in the 1997 Estuary Management Plan appears to be appropriate, with community support and reasonable compliance over the last Plan period. This buffer zone allocation should be continued into the next Plan period, and where possible, increased. There should be conditions of consent for new developments adjacent to the estuaries to include rehabilitation of foreshores.

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Protection of key habitat areas relies heavily on protection of vegetation and water quality. Further mapping of key areas should be undertaken, and opportunities should be sought for restoration of representative habitat zones, particularly large areas with close connections to the estuaries.

Protection and enhancement of recreational values for the people who live around and visit the three estuaries will be best achieved by continuing the present work in accordance with the 1997 Plan, in conjunction with ongoing consultation with the community. Passive recreation should be encouraged to reduce the conflict between recreational users of the estuary. Meetings and media releases (Tweed Link is an effective medium of communication) should be arranged for any recreation-related project around the estuaries, firstly to inform the community, and secondly to assimilate views and identify constraints.

The issues surrounding entrance management, particularly at the Cudgen Creek entrance, are complex, with a long history and many implications. The removal of the Spur Wall has been strongly supported by the community, and appears to have few serious implications. Environmental assessment would be not as stringent for this remedial small-scale action as with a larger dredging project, and removal is supported in this Plan. Warning signs of the hazards of navigation should be erected.

References and Further Information

Estuary Management Plan, Cudgen, Cudgera and Mooball Creeks. WBM. Tweed Shire Council, August 1997

Tweed Coast Estuary Management Plan 2004-2008, Cudgen, Cudgera and Mooball Creeks, Australian Wetlands, Tweed Shire Council, May 2005

Tweed Council Resource Centre, Murwillumbah Library ph: (02) 66702400