Streambank study a guide

Neilly Group has completed a streambank study for NQ Dry Tropics as part of the Burdekin Landscape Repair project. 

The Burdekin Landscape Repair Regional Working Group, made up of experts and community members, is reviewing the findings and will provide feedback. Landholders will soon be notified if their property has been selected. 

Those who choose to participate will see their selected sites go to tender before they have the opportunity to enter into a Land Management Agreement.

Selected sites will then go to tender, and on-ground works are expected to begin toward the end of the year.

Using satellite imagery to conduct the streambank study, Neilly Group identified areas along major rivers and creeks in priority catchments that showed signs of significant erosion. Where weather allowed it, they visited sites to ground-truth their findings and collected detailed data, including LiDAR scans to measure land loss and soil samples to inform design and sediment loss calculations.

What will the remediation involve?

Each site will have a tailored design. Where possible, natural techniques like timber piles, bank battering, and revegetation wll be used.

Contractors, selected through a tender process, will complete the works and provide two years of maintenance. After that, landholders will take over maintenance and manage the site.

The aim is for these sites to stay stable with minimal upkeep. If major damage happens beyond the maintenance period, NQ Dry Tropics will be available to help assess the situation and discuss next steps.

Grazing Team Leader Carleigh Drew is available to help with any land management queries as the project is rolled out.

The five-year Burdekin Landscape Repair project is working to stop 41,000 tonnes of sediment from reaching the Great Barrier Reef by June 2030. Streambank remediation is a big part of that, aiming to save 19,000 tonnes of fine sediment alone.

For more information visit the project page.