Offsite Stormwater

Offsite Stormwater Treatment Project 

The project

PBPL is leading Queensland’s first scientifically-based and assessed offsite stormwater treatment project in the Lockyer Valley.

PBPL worked closely with a range of partners to implement the project, including the Queensland Government, Healthy Land and Water, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, and Mulgowie Farming Company.

To date PBPL has invested $1million dollars to rehabilitate and stabilise 1.7km of Laidley Creek. Works delivered include bank re-profiling, the planting and maintenance of 9,000 native plants and the installation of 4 cross-bed grade control structures. The works also include a major research component with scientists using innovative techniques to identify and monitor the sources of sediment pollution.


The results

To date, rehabilitation of this upper catchment area has delivered significant environmental benefits including:

  • the prevention of 8,500 tonnes of sediment – approximately 445 truckloads of dirt – from entering Laidley Creek, anticipated each year

  • significant water quality improvements to the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay

  • improved flora and fauna habitats at the site

  • increased agricultural productivity at the site by improving land security and providing protection from future flood events.

Cyclone Debbie Update

  • On the afternoon and evening of Thursday 30 March 2017 there was a significant stormwater event in Laidley Creek. The project performed exceptionally well and results are summarised in this video:

Awards

  • 2016 Healthy Waterways Awards - Sustainable Water Management Award and the Minister’s Grand Prize

  • 2016 Australian Engineering Excellence Awards - Queensland Environmental Excellence Award

  • 2016 Australian Shipping and Maritime Industry Awards - Environmental Transport Awards

  • ​2018 International RiverFoundation Australasia Riverprize Finalist

Project partners

Healthy Land and Water, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Mulgowie Farming Company, Queensland Government (Department of Environment and Science, Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning), Planfuture, Alluvium, BMT WBM, Griffith University (Australian Rivers Institute).

More information

Port of Brisbane Stormwater Management 
Stormwater Management fact sheet 

Development at the Port

Developers at the Port need to comply with the Port of Brisbane Technical Guidelines. These guidelines require developers to manage and treat stormwater. Qualifying developers have the opportunity to partially meet stormwater quality requirements by investing into the Port’s offsite program at a rate of $30,000 per hectare. PBPL tracks development at the Port that is utilising offsite investment. The below tables summarises the investments made in Laidley Creek and the area of port development ‘treated offsite’.

Table 1: This table summarises the investment made by the Port of Brisbane offsite and the amount of land at the port that has utilised the investment.

Year Offsite Investment Hectares Used Hectares Remaining
2015/16 $500,000 17.795 2.205
2016/17 $500,000 0 22.205
2017/18 $0 6.17 15.495
2018/19* $0 5.48 10.015

*current 31 January 2019