The City of Launceston council wants to reiterate it does not have authority over the kanamaluka/Tamar River, it is only a member of the Tamar Estuary Management Taskforce which is made up of all levels of government and other stakeholders.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Councillor Hugh McKenzie asked if to achieve a solution in the short term could the council seek funding to undertake raking before a long term solution was implemented, if the ecological impacts were manageable.
He said he asked the question to get it on the record that in reality recommencing raking was not so easy.
"There are a lot of experts out there giving us lots of advice in regards to it and seemingly thinking the Launceston city council is the answer to all of those questions, whereas we all know Launceston city council is only one part of a whole network of people who have a ... community interest in the kanamaluka/Tamar River," he said.
"One thing I didn't talk about was dredging, which is the other way to permanently get siltation out of the river. Dredging isn't a short term issue."
The response from both questions, aimed to show the reality of the situation, was to wait until the TEMT report was delivered, as it would explore raking and dredging.
Our River - Exploring the health of the Tamar Estuary:
- How the Tamar became polluted and what is being done to fix it
- Chamber calls for independent body to oversee river cleanup
- Why the Tamar Action Group want more done to fix the river
- What scientists say about the health of the Tamar River
- Swimming in the Tamar near Launceston may never be safe
- 'We refuse to learn to love Tamar River's mud'
- Tourism operator says time for talk on Tamar is over
- Why this 144-year-old club is worried about their future
- Seaport Marina set to move in 2021
- 'Largely ineffective': authority target of residents' ire
- Expert explains: the problem with raking the Tamar's mud
The council's chief executive officer Michael Stretton said dredging would not permanently remove sediment from the estuary.
He also said he was doubtful a Reserve Activity Assessment, which would be needed to undertake further raking, would allow it to recommence given the results of a review into it in 2019.
"In order to allow an informed decision about sediment management into the future, the Tamar Estuary Management Taskforce is currently undertaking a scientifically robust, evidence-based evaluation of the wide range of sedimentation management options that have been proposed for the estuary," he said.
"The review will also assess the relative costs of those options. It is, therefore, suggested that before further considering sediment raking options, there is a need to await the release of this report."
Cr Tim Walker asked if the council knew an exact date for when the TEMT report would be released.
Mayor Albert van Zetten said no.
The Launceston Chamber of Commerce and others have been calling for an independent, singular body to oversee the river.
What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor:
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
