Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet Lord Howe Island Board

1

1

Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

Lord Howe Island Board

C

Introduction

Welcome to the April 2015 edition of the Lord Howe Island Board Community Information Bulletin. The Bulletin provides news and information on the Board’s many projects and activities.

Since the last edition of the Bulletin in December, we have had the LHI Board election and the State election. On the Board front, as of February we have a new Board line-up with the election of Craig (Macca) Wilson along with the return of Barney Nichols, Judy Riddle and Lisa Makiiti. At the state level, the Coalition Government has been returned including LHI’s local Member of Parliament Leslie Williams. There has been a Ministerial re-shuffle, which means that Mark Speakman, MP for Cronulla, is now the Minister for the Environment (and is therefore responsible for Lord Howe Island). Rob Stokes, our former Minister, has moved on to be the Minister for Planning. Leslie Williams has become the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Assistant Minister for Education. Congratulations to all those elected.

The Island has had a great summer/high season, with good weather, lots of visitors, and wonderful events like Rockfest in mid-March. Hopefully we’ll see more of the same over the next few months (with a bit of rain to help fill the tanks and water the gardens).

Penny Holloway, Chief Executive Officer

Community Information Bulletin April 2015

2

2

Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet

ANZAC Day Dawn Service – 25 April 2015


On Saturday 25 April 2015, as well as the traditional service at 11.00am, there will be a Dawn Service at 5.45am. All are welcome to attend.

As a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli in 1915, the Dawn Service will be held under the Lone Pine at Jims Point. Access will be via the gate at the Old Met Station site, with a short walk of approximately 100 metres to the site of the service. There will be a shuttle service available from the Old Met Station site to the Lone Pine for the less mobile.

Everyone is invited to come and pay their respects for those brave young soldiers who fought and died in the Gallipoli conflict during WW1.

A light breakfast will be provided at the LHI Bowling Club after the Dawn Service.

The Dawn Service is being held to complement the traditional 11.00am service at the Cenotaph. The organisers strongly encourage those who attend the Dawn Service to also attend the traditional 11.00am service, for a complete day of respect.

For enquiries, contact Jim McFadyen on 6563 2481 or Simon Meehan on 6563 2199.

Welcome to new team leaders in infrastructure and engineering.

Congratulations and welcome to two new appointees to Team Leader positions in the Board’s Infrastructure and Engineering Services (IES) Unit.

After a merit based selection process in accordance with NSW Government recruitment guidelines, Kate Dignam has been appointed as Team Leader, Compliance and Projects and Jim McFadyen as Team Leader, Asset Management.

These new positions have come about as a result of change to the structure of the Infrastructure and Engineering Services Unit in order to achieve efficiencies and to streamline reporting. Neither of the positions has accommodation provided. The two Team Leader positions have a wide range of responsibilities and report to IES Unit Manager, Andrew Logan. It is great that after a very competitive recruitment process, the positions have been filled by Island residents.

3

3

Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet Community Information Bulletin April 2015

Adopt a Street Light Program

We don’t have many streetlights, but they have been suffering lately through vandalism. The Board’s Senior Electrical Officer, Greg Higgins, says that the tops of 3 lights have been destroyed lately, and at a replacement cost of $400 each, the costs are adding up. More concerning, is that a couple of them have had exposed live wires after the damage, which is potentially fatal if touched.

So if you see a damaged streetlight, let the Board know straight away, either by calling the office, or while Greg is away, calling Andrew Logan at home on 2353. We will respond very quickly to ensure that there is no danger to the public, but we need to know if there is a problem.

Airport Runway and Drainage Upgrade Project

As a result of an Open Tender invitation published through the NSW Government’s e-tendering portal in December 2014, eight tenderers submitted tenders for the Airport Runway reseal project in February 2015.

Because of the value of the contract, the NSW Minister for the Environment approved the tender result. After Ministerial approval, the contract was awarded to Fulton Hogan in early March 2015 and they commenced planning and documentation work for the project immediately.

Project Manager

Greg Cleveland, the Board’s project manager from Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) continues to manage the project. During construction activities, a PB representative will be on-site full time, and will work out of the Met Station.

Barging

A working group consisting of the Police, Transport for NSW, Roads and Maritime, Board staff, Marine Parks, Fulton Hogan and the Board’s Project Manager, Greg Cleveland, was established in January 2015, to better manage the maritime risks on the project.

As a result of this, a detailed hydrographic survey of Erscott’s Passage and the Lagoon near the airport was undertaken in late March. Thanks to the assistance of Marine Parks for the use of the Tursiops and the skippering of the vessel by Tas Douglass, Wes Young and Christo Haselden, and the scrap-yard challenge efforts by Todd Vowles, the $700,000 worth of equipment stayed where it was supposed to and the work was completed safely.

4


Airport Runway and Drainage Upgrade Project continued

Fulton Hogan and their barging subcontractors have a number of legal maritime plans to put in place and have approved by Transport for NSW before the work can commence. Fulton Hogan has nominated the use of two 3,000 tonne barges to bring materials and equipment to the Island in April, unloading to three 600 tonne barges for unloading on the end of the runway. The focus of the project team through April and up until the expected arrival of the first barge in mid-May will be the finalisation of these maritime plans and risk management aspects, particularly biosecurity aspects.

Community Feedback - Discussions have been held with the nearest neighbours to the project to inform them of potential dust and noise issues during construction. There was no negative feedback regarding the project. Fulton Hogan will be bringing in lighting towers as a contingency for the project so that they have the ability to work into the evening if required. At this stage, there is no intention to work through the night, but this will be heavily dependent on progress and weather conditions.

Qantas Link

Qantas have altered their schedules to show that there will be no flights on the following days:

Monday 15 June to Thursday 18 June 2015

Monday 22 June to Thursday 25 June 2015

Monday 29 June to Thursday 2 July 2015

Monday 6 July to Thursday 9 July 2015

There will be no change in the number of seats to the Island, but they will be concentrated on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday during this period. If there are flight cancellations over the weekend, the Board and Fulton Hogan will work with QantasLink to bring the flights in and out as efficiently as possible for visitors and the project.

Next Steps

A postcard style householder, jointly published by Fulton Hogan and the Board, will go out in the near future advising of the next phases of the project. Fulton Hogan are open to undertaking private works on the Island during their time on the Island, the details of which will be in the forthcoming householder.

5


What is Biosecurity?

Biosecurity is the protection of people, animals and the environment from infectious disease, pests and other biological threats. It is achieved through systems that aim to prevent disease or pest introduction or spread, or mitigate an outbreak if it occurs.

Stopping the entry, establishment and spread of unwanted pests and diseases is vital for for protecting and preserving our environment, agriculture and food production and native plants and animals.

With funding from the Federal Governments Caring for our Country program to help manage the LHI world heritage property, the LHI Board engaged Charles Walsh Nature Tourism Services to help prepare biosecurity awareness information for LHI.

As part of this project an IPad user guide was developed that provides visitor information on topics like World Heritage, quarantine, walking tracks, the marine park and various projects being undertaken to restore the islands biodiversity.

The user guide was loaded on the LHI Board website on 3rd March and will have terminals located at the airport and museum.

The content can now be viewed at the LHIB website at: http://www.naturetourismservices.com.au/LHI-Userguide/LHI-Userguide.pdf

Once installed at the museum, the user guide will be able to be downloaded to personal devices.

The grant also provided funds for quarantine signage to be installed at the airport and the yachties shed at the jetty.

http://www.naturetourismservices.com.au/LHI-Userguide/LHI-Userguide.pdf

http://www.naturetourismservices.com.au/LHI-Userguide/LHI-Userguide.pdf

6


Chemical User Training

In the coming months the Lord Howe Island Board will be arranging for a Registered Chemical Users Trainer from ChemCert Australia to deliver chemical training to Board staff.

The Pesticides Regulation 2009 and the WH&S Regulation 2011 requires chemical certification in the state of NSW for users of all Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) Registered Chemicals. Accreditation is valid for 5 years.

Any residents that need to obtain or refresh their accreditation should contact Shane Deacon or Jim McFadyen who will pass your personal details on to the trainer and let you know approximate dates and costs for the training.

New methods to hunt down weeds on LHI

The LHIB is currently negotiating a new project with the NSW Environmental Trust valued at $495K over a 2 year period. The project comprises a number of key activities.

Funding positions to continue on ground grid search and control of target weeds.

Trial of Unmanned Automated Vehicle (UAV) or Aero Robotics (AR) also known as “drones” for mapping

and detection of outlier weeds in the Southern Mountains. This may include the use of digital imagery

software designed to recognise specific weed species and geo-reference their location.

Trial of precision herbicide application – Herbicide Ballistic Technology (HBT). This involves the

application of pelletised herbicide through a pneumatic gas gun. This technology has been applied in

Hawaii and has proven successful in getting weeds in inaccessible terrain.

External review of the Weed Eradication program – this includes a stocktake of our achievements,

comparison to other island weed eradication programs and identification of areas for improvement to

increase our success.

Whilst we need to keep up the continued on ground search effort of weeds, it is important that the program adopts new and improved methods to prevent weeds getting a hold in inaccessible terrain. This project will provide a great opportunity to test new methods that may be an addition to our weeding tool kit; and of value to other island restoration projects.

CSIRO SMR-1 used for tropical weed detection and eradication in North Qld

CSIRO SMR-1 used for tropical weed detection and eradication in North Qld

Dr James Leary from the University of Hawaii demonstrating the use of HBT.

7


Helicopter Winch Access - Remote Area Weeding Lord Howe Island March 2015

The LHIB has recently rolled out a program to continue the search and control of weeds in the Southern Mountains. Helitrek’s BK117 twin-engine helicopter was engaged through the NSW Rural Fire Service to winch weed teams into rugged terrain. Teams have been trained in working safe around helicopters and winching. Six days of work were undertaken. The project was completed on the 9

th March with the arrival of Providence Petrels

returning to breed in the Southern Mountains. Meticulous planning went into the operation however flexibility in dealing with weather conditions, which posed the greatest constraints, was required. Westerly winds are required for the helicopter to arrive, calm winds whilst on Island and easterlies to enable a safe return trip to the mainland.

Helitrek crewman hoisting up a weeder

RFS trainer ensuring LHIB staff develop good winching technique

Gower - west team taking a break at one of the 'twin waterfalls'

Two teams worked the north face of Mt Gower (Gower – East & Gower – West); progressively grid searching terrain toward the ‘twin waterfalls’ located near the centre of the mountain. At least 20 hectares were searched. A few outbreaks of Cherry Guava were mapped and removed (seedling 921, juveniles 554 and mature 211). Follow-up of the known infestation at 600m ASL was also achieved. A surveillance run was undertaken through ‘Big Pocket’ located on the far south-west of Mt Gower and is reported ‘free’ of priority weeds. Up to 100 person ‘on ground’ days were applied for the whole operation. Getting winched onto the mountain is exhilarating then it is down to hard yakka. Fortunately the great views and patches of high elevation forest provide reprieve from the sun, dense crofton weed and rough terrain. The highlight of the day is getting picked up by the helicopter; otherwise it is a long walk out. All teams were required to walk out on Tuesday 10th March due to uncharted weather conditions; the walk out will be memorable for some!

8



An improvement on this operation is that all grid search effort is mapped on Global Positioning System (GPS) units to monitor and assess resource needs for future. This is the first timethat a BK117 has been used for winching on LHI and it proved a very stable platform. The program will now be able to review the application of this approach for future project work.

The northern flanks of Mt Lidgbird and Intermediate Hill used to have the densest infestations of Cherry Guava on LHI. Over 450,000 plants have been removed using 43,000 hours of labour (estimate of $1.7 million); bringing weed populations to low levels. To date over 11,000 Cherry Guavas have been removed from Mt Gower with 2,791 hours of labour. It is important that work continues to prevent the spread and build up of weeds in rugged terrain in the Southern Mountains.

This project, although high in cost is supporting the effort towards eradicating priority weeds from LHI and importantly protecting the island’s unique biological assets for the long term.

weeds in rugged terrain in the Southern Mountains. This project,

A posy of Cherry Guava seedlings

This project, although high in cost is supporting the effort towards eradicating priority weeds from LHI and importantly protecting the island’s unique biological assets for the long term.

Hitching a ride home Taking out a mature Cherry Guava

9



This important Island Conservation Project

Work has been funded by ‘CARING for our

COUNTRY’ the ‘NSW ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST,

Friends of Lord Howe Island & North Coast Local

Land Services

GPS record of search effort Mt Gower 2015

The team

10


Hybrid renewable energy project – now fully funded

The good news is that the Island’s renewable energy project is now fully funded. The Federal Government funding of $4.6 million was confirmed in July last year. The loan approval from NSW State Treasury for the remaining $5.9 million, which will enable the project to become a reality, was finally given last month. The financial model for the project has been worked out so that the loan component of the funding can be repaid over 20 years from the savings in diesel costs, which will be achieved when the renewable energy is fully implemented.

A lot of work has been happening in the background on the planning, designing and approvals for the project, with some updates following.

Environmental Assessment: Consultants Jacobs have almost completed the noise study, which is a key part of the environmental assessment process. Noise meters were placed at four locations - nearest houses on Anderson Road, at the rear of Pinetrees, on Middle Beach Road and near the Golf Club for 2 to 6 weeks in January and February to measure and log background noise levels at these sites under a variety of wind conditions. This information has been combined with independently verified information from the wind turbine manufacturer, to model what the expected noise levels would be at every nearby residence and lodge. The information from this noise study will be made available to the Island community in the near future.

Technical Feasibility Study

This is one of the early key tasks of consultants Jacobs. Using solar and wind data from the monitoring mast, and working closely with the Board’s Senior Electrical Officer and with detailed information on the proposed wind turbines, Jacobs has worked to successfully prove the feasibility concept originally developed by Powercorp/ABB and ensure it works with our electricity grid and on the site. After this the consultants will

Roll out of a small scale communication and metering project to replace the existing hot water control unit and test the equipment on the Island.

Prepare a contracting strategy to enable a call for tenders in the second half of 2015.

One of the noise loggers near Joy’s Shop. Photo: John Hutchison, Jacobs

Wind and Avifauna Monitoring Mast

Since the wind and avifauna (birds and bats) monitoring mast was installed in November 2014, data has been collected on a fortnightly basis and sent to Jacobs for analysis. Early indications are that:

Average wind speeds at the top of the mast are 7.5m/s and are adequate for wind turbine operation

Solar irradiation levels are lower than expected, which translates to potentially lower yields from the solar panels. The reasons why this is the case on Lord Howe Island in particular are not clear yet. More work is being done on this aspect.

11


Wind and Avifauna Monitoring Mast

Since the wind and avifauna (birds and bats) monitoring mast was installed in November 2014, data has been collected on a fortnightly basis and sent to Jacobs for analysis. Early indications are that:

Average wind speeds at the top of the mast are 7.5m/s and are adequate for wind turbine operation

Solar irradiation levels are lower than expected, which translates to potentially lower yields from the solar panels. The reasons why this is the case on Lord Howe Island in particular are not clear yet. More work is being done on this aspect.

Community Consultation

Jacobs commenced some community consultation work late in 2014, to understand the history of the project and the community’s attitudes. The project was represented at the busy December Community Markets, and focussed on a simple survey to better understand resident and visitor positions and issues. Of the approximately 90 people who answered the questions:

There is clear support for solar PV and the wind turbines.

There is slightly more opposition to the wind turbines, than the solar PV.

Visitors indicated they would be more likely to visit again if there was renewable energy installed.

Jacobs consultants will be back on the Island between 8 – 11 May, and will be organising:

Information on the noise study recently completed.

Meetings with nearby residents and lodges.

Attendance at the Community Markets on 10 May.

A meeting with the Sustainable Energy Working Group.

Hybrid renewable energy project – now fully funded

A problem for the future – land on LHI for use as a cemetery

It is not necessarily a subject that we want to think about. But death is an inevitability and planning for burials must be done. Lord Howe Island is small and space for a variety of purposes, including cemeteries, is scarce. So the LHI Board, as the responsible authority, needs to take a coordinated, strategic approach to planning and management of cemeteries on Lord Howe Island to address a shortage of burial space and to ensure the full range of interment options is accessible and affordable to the community.

The Board currently manages one public cemetery and one historic cemetery at Ned’s Beach. The public cemetery is generally reserved for the burial of Island residents or their direct families. Projections indicate available burial sites at the existing public cemetery will reach capacity within 15 years.

Two private cemeteries are located on the Island namely, the Thompson Family cemetery on Portion 55; and the Pinetrees cemetery on Portion 236. A number of options have been considered and include the allocation and/or acquisition of land for use as a public cemetery, and more sustainable burial practices to extend the capacity of the existing public cemetery.

Given the scarcity of land and increasing competition over land use priorities, better use of existing cemetery space is crucial to addressing the issue of diminishing cemetery capacity. However the Board is also looking at what other land might be available for a public cemetery.

Over this year, the Board will be investigating options for the existing cemetery space, new cemetery options as well as other methods of burial. There will be consultation with the community and any suggestions will be gratefully received.

12


Making sure Drinking Water quality is up to standard on LHI

The NSW Public Health Act 2010 and Public Health Regulation 2012 require private drinking water suppliers to develop and follow a quality assurance program, or a Drinking Water Quality Assurance Program. The deadline for development and implementation of the Program was 1 September 2014. These requirements are administered and enforced by NSW Health.

So who are private drinking water suppliers on Lord Howe Island and who has to develop a quality assurance program?

This does not apply to individual households collecting rainwater for their own consumption or for residential tenancy arrangements. But it does apply to the Board where the Board owns or operates any premise that supplies drinking water to the public, such as public drinking fountains and the airport for example. It also applies to commercial premises, such as restaurants and accommodation providers, supplying water to the public.

To get the quality assurance program right, the Board appointed a specialist consultant in water quality management to undertake the work for its own water supplies. The Board also asked the consultant to prepare a template for use by other private water supply managers on the Island.

The Drinking Water Quality Assurance Program formalises much of the Board’s current activities in managing drinking water supplies on the Island, and in these cases, the only additional work required was to document the work that is currently undertaken.

Based on the risk assessment from the Program, the Board’s managed water supplies will be classed as:

1. Treated drinking water supplies at the Hospital, Board depot and office, Co-Op bubbler and Airport Terminal.

2. Untreated drinking water supplies at Board owned houses and other supplies.

3. Non-potable supplies at Ned’s Beach, the Playground, Old Settlement Beach and North Bay.

However, there are a number of additional actions, one-off and ongoing, which the Board is required to carry out to maintain compliance with the Program, and provide an adequate level of risk management.

These additional actions include:

Installation of three new ultraviolet (UV) disinfection units at the Co-Op bubbler, the airport terminal and the Board depot and offices. These are approximately $4,000 each to purchase and install.

Two yearly testing of eleven Board-treated and untreated drinking water supplies for lead, copper and sulphate

Increased frequency of E.coli testing of some of the treated drinking water supplies.

More regular inspections of some elements of the water supply systems

Providing advice to lessees in Board residences as to their responsibility in managing the water supply at their property.

Highlighting to the community, the potential for lead contamination from stagnant water left in pipes for periods of time.

Cleaning and disinfecting the 3,000 litre water tank trailer prior to its use to deliver potable water.

Installing signage at Board owned houses and other supplies, advising that ‘Rainwater’ is in use.

Installing signage at Ned’s Beach, the Playground, Old Settlement Beach and North Bay, advising that the supply is ‘Rainwater. Not suitable for Drinking’.

13


Making sure Drinking Water quality is up to standard on LHI continued

Two Lord Howe Island specific templates have been prepared and are available for restaurant and accommodation providers to prepare their own Drinking Water Quality Assurance Program. The two templates deal with bore water and rain water.

A full copy of the Board’s Drinking Water Quality Assurance Program is available at the Board’s office. Private drinking water suppliers will receive an information pack and electronic versions of the templates in the near future.

Farewell to the old powerhouse building

This iconic building will finally be removed. While she has served the Island well in her 48 years of service it’s time to say goodbye.

Originally built by the Department of Civil Aviation in 1967 to serve the Island’s growing demand for reticulated power, the building was extensively damaged by fire in 2009.

The fire impacted on asbestos containing materials in the building, and after a small clean-up, the Power House continued to operate, with ongoing air monitoring for asbestos fibres, until the new facility was commissioned in December 2012.

The Board received Capital funding from Treasury NSW for the demolition of the old building, the purchase of diesel fuel tanks for the new Power House and the removal of the four old underground diesel storage tanks still in use on site.

In late December 2014 the Board appointed an Environmental Engineer to prepare the technical documents for the contract and four companies were invited to tender on the building demolition with EnviroPacific Services emerging as the successful contractor.

EnviroPacific Services have had previous experience with the Old Power House Building when they were engaged to do the initial clean-up after the 2009 fire.

The demolition of the building to slab level will be the first step towards creating a central park as part of the overall precinct plan.

EnviroPacific Services will begin on site on Monday 13 April 2015. The first week will be spent setting up the site and conducting surveys. There will be a 1.8m temporary fence around the whole work area and an inner asbestos containment zone will be established when the asbestos removal begins.

Asbestos removal will commence on-site on Monday 20 April 2015, after the school holidays. The whole building will be enclosed under negative air pressure and strict rules will be applied for access to the area.

An occupational hygienist will be on site during the removal of the asbestos and will undertake daily air monitoring and certification of asbestos free materials and final asbestos free site clearance.

All asbestos material will be packaged and shipped off-Island in skips and bags.

14

Farewell to the old powerhouse building continued

Example of a Hazibag to be used in the project

EnviroPacific will be recovering tools and materials for re-use by the Board and the community. Further details of these items will be made available during the project.

The demolition project is expected to be completed by mid May and the removal of the concrete slab and the underground diesel storage tanks is planned for October 2015.

Rodent consultation – Moving to a decision

Between July and September 2014, Brendan Blakely and Martin Klopper, from Elton Consulting undertook a series of visits to Lord Howe Island, speaking on a one-on-one basis through personal visits or open sessions at the public hall to over 90 Island residents, many more than once, on the issue of rodent control and potential eradication on the Island.

This evolved to the creation of a working group, based on residents who indicated a willingness to participate, along with an open call for nomination / involvement that was put out through a householder to community residents.

In late November 2014, early December 2014 and over a week in February 2015, the working group met to discuss the options available to the Island to find a solution to the rodent problem. Two scenarios were investigated and discussed, these being:

Ongoing management through the existing baiting program, and the potential to expand this across the Island.

An eradication program, as previously proposed or modified to address Islanders concerns.

Based on the discussions and investigations, independent advice is currently being sought to answer some of the questions raised, or to provide an opinion on the accuracy of information available to the group.

A discussion paper outlining the options and findings, as well as the process moving forward will be prepared and circulated to the broader community in Mid-April 2015. This will be followed by a community survey in early May 2015 to gauge your response to the information, and to assess the best route forward for rodent control or eradication on Lord Howe Island.


15

Slipway and Boat Ramp Upgrade Project


The planning for the slipway at the Waste Management Facility and the upgrade to the existing boat ramp is progressing with Alan Taylor and Associates from Port Macquarie having completed the concept design work.

Although the Board, Allan Taylor and Transport for NSW were working to have a slipway available around about the time the commercial surveys are due (about now), this timing was not able to be achieved.

Transport for NSW is now aiming to submit a development application for assessment and reporting to the May Board meeting.

The Board has a new updated Code of Conduct

Under the Lord Howe Island Regulation 2014 there is a requirement that the Board must adopt and is bound by the most recent Model Code of Conduct for Local Councils issued under the Local Government Act 1993.

The Board’s previous Code of Conduct was adopted in September 2009. In 2013, the Office of Local Government issued a revised Model Code of Conduct for Local Councils in New South Wales. The revised Model Code includes new provisions, such as prohibitions on:

- making complaints improperly, taking detrimental action in response to complaints, or disclosing information about code of conduct matters, and

- participating in binding caucus votes, except for nominations.

There was also a new set of procedures for the administration of the Code of Conduct. Because the most recent Model Code of Conduct must be adopted by the Board, the 2013 Model Code has now been reviewed and amendments made to ensure its relevance to the Lord Howe Island Board. The revised “Lord Howe Island Board Code of Conduct for Lord Howe Island Board Members and Board Officials” and the “Procedures for the Administration of the Code of Conduct for the Lord Howe Island Board” were adopted by the Board at its March 2015 meeting, and can be seen on the Board’s website. The new Code and Procedures apply only to Board members, Board committee members and delegates of the Board. Board Administration Staff are covered by a different Code of Conduct and associated policies and procedures currently being finalised by the NSW Public Service Commission. Mr Mitchell Morley from InConsult came to the Island in March to provide Code of Conduct training to Board

members and to Board Administration Staff.

16

Walking track repairs


The arrival of the helicopter recently provided an opportunity for the environmental unit’s field crew to use the chopper to sling stockpiled track materials to repair Muttonbird Point Track after part of the track was damaged and subsequently closed by a landslip in June 2011. It also enabled a prefabricated viewing platform and construction materials to be lifted to Intermediate Hill to build a new viewing platform which has been generously funded by Dick Smith. The Muttonbird Point track will be realigned and upgraded based on specifications outlined in a geotechnical engineer’s report prepared by Coffey consultants, which will enable the track to be reopened to link to the Boat Harbour/Smoking Tree Ridge and Intermediate

Hill track networks. Footings for the viewing platform at Intermediate Hill have been poured and are currently curing for about one month before the viewing platform can be constructed. Tim Kennedy has been contracted to oversee the construction of the viewing platform, which will provide commanding views to Balls

Pyramid and the southern mountains in the south and sweeping views across the settlement, northern hills and lagoon to the north.

Track materials being slung to Muttonbird Point.

Trax requires a major

Visitors to the Board’s depot may have noticed the track loader in numerous pieces in the workshop. Staff had noticed the track adjusters were leaking and not holding the pressure on the track. Todd, the mechanic, dissassembled the tracks which required the use of a lot of other heavy equipment as he had to take off the bucket and the idler wheels to get to where the problem was.

Once the machine was dissassembled Todd found that one of the track adjuster carriers had seized in the track frame which mean’t he had to cut it out. Another major operation.

Specialist parts are being flown in from the United States of America as we speak and will hopefully arrive on the Island on the next Island Trader voyage. If all goes to plan the ‘Trax’ will be operational by the end of the month...just in time for the runway reseal and drainage project to commence.

project

17

Updated Wastewater Strategy Documentation at Board Office


Whilst it’s not the most riveting document, the revised Wastewater Strategy and Design Guidelines are available in hard copy for viewing at the Board’s offices until 24th April 2015. The revised document was adopted at the Board’s March meeting, with the final stage of consultation involving the public and the wastewater system suppliers and on-Island installers.

Andrew Logan is available to explain the revisions to the document, however, the highlights include:

1. Enforcement of the requirements to disinfect wastewater prior to disposal for all systems on the Island, regardless of surface or sub-surface effluent disposal. The consequence of this change is that five reed bed systems approved by the Board for installation do not have disinfection and are therefore non-compliant. The proposed approach with these installed systems only is to discuss an affordable disinfection method with the supplier and leaseholders to achieve compliance.

2. Reduction in the buffer distance between disposal areas and the ocean from 100m to 35m. 3. Retention of the buffer distance between disposal areas and active groundwater wells/ bores at 50m. 4. Clearer guidance on system design and sizing, including provision of a model for calculating irrigation areas,

with acceptable Lord Howe Island specific values for variables. 5. Allowance of systems not accredited with NSW Health to be installed, but only in circumstances currently

permitted by NSW Health. 6. Inclusion of sand mounds as an acceptable method of disposal of secondary treated effluent. 7. Defining wastewater system types as:

a. Domestic and Small Commercial Residential – up to 10 persons or 2,000L/day with no commercial kitchen.

b. Commercial Residential Properties – more than 10 persons or 2,000L/day with no commercial kitchen. c. Larger Commercial Residential Properties – more than 10 persons or 2,000L/day with a commercial

kitchen.

d. Non-residential Properties e. Recycled Water Reuse

Except for Recycled Water Reuse, all of the examples have the same standard of treatment required, but have varied frequency of testing.

Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet Lord Howe Island Board

Documents

Transcript of Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet Lord Howe Island Board