What is not a waterway barrier work?
Waterway barrier works require approvals under Queensland legislation. This Fact sheet describes a number of instream works, and types of structures, that have been excluded from consideration as waterway barrier works on the basis of their minimal impact to fisheries productivity.
Refer to the ‘Queensland waterways for waterway barrier works’ ArcGIS spatial layer: for the determination of a waterway. The colour of a particular waterway may help to determine what is, or is not a waterway barrier work.
Barriers not considered to be waterway barrier works:
- Bridges (new and maintenance) Bridge structures include carring a road or path, pipeline, railway, etc. across a waterway. The design features and how they affect fish passage in the waterway are relevant in making this determination, not the actual purpose of the bridge.
- New single span bridges are not waterway barrier works when:
- the abutments do not extend into the waterway beyond the high bank;
- the bank revetment works do not extend beyond the toe of the bank;and
- no scour protection is placed on the bed of the waterway upstream, downstream or under the structure.
- New multi-span bridges are not waterway barrier works when:
- in all waterways, the abutments do not extend into the waterway beyond the high bank, and the abutment revetment works do not extend into the waterway beyond the toes of the banks;
- in all waterways, bed scour protection is placed at, or below the natural bed level of the waterway, and does not change the characteristics of the low flow channel;
- in Purple, Red, Amber and Green waterways, bed scour protection cannot extend more than 20m upstream, or 20m downstream beyond the footprint of the bridge.
- in Grey waterways, bed scour protection cannot extend more than 5m upstream, or 5m downstream beyond the footprint of the bridge.
- in Amber and Green waterways, the pier/pile and/or pier/pile platform are completely outside the low flow channel
- in Purple, Red and Grey waterways, the pier/pile and/or pier/pile platform can be within the low flow channel, but does not change the characteristics of the low flow channel (i.e. cause scouring of the low flow channel banks or bed).
Note: in Grey waterways works may impact upon marine plants; and damage, destruction or removal of marine plants will require assessment under Queensland leglisation, even if the works are not considered to be waterway barrier works.
- Bridge maintenance that is not waterway barrier works when:
- encaseing existing bridge piers, piles or platforms in concrete;
- abutment revetment maintenance works do not extend into the waterway beyond the toe of the bank;
- reinstating existing, or installing new, bed and bank scour protection,including the use of gabion bags, it is reinstated at or below the natural waterway bed or bank level, and does not change the characteristics of the low flow channel; and
- in Purple, Red, Amber and Green waterways, bed and bank scour protection does not extend for more than 20m upstream, or 20m downstream beyond the footprint of the bridge; or
- in Grey waterways, bed and bank scour protection does not extend more than 5m upstream, or 5m downstream beyond the footprint of the bridge.
- Jetties, pontoons and boat ramps regardless of their size, construction material or locations are not waterway barrier works.
- Bank revetment or other bank stabilisation works are not waterway barrier works when they:
- fill minor erosion pockets to regularise the bank of the waterway;
- in waterways less than 50m wide at the main channel width, do not extend into the waterway beyond the toe of the bank, or raise the bed level of the waterway above its natural profile
- in waterways greater than 50m wide at the main channel width, do not extend beyond 10% of the width of the waterway (main channel width), or raise the bed level of the waterway above its natural profile, (both maintenance and new works).
- Recessed rock rib level with or below bed level, are not waterway barrier works and may aid in bed replenishment or stabilisation.
- Storm-water outlet construction and associated necessary scour protection are not waterway barrier works if they do not reduce the cross sectional area of the waterway.
- Road resurfacing at waterway crossings are not waterway barrier works when the repair thickness is the same, or comparable (within 100mm) to the original road surface thickness/deck level.
- Maintenance of waterway crossings is not waterway barrier works for works when:
- de-silting and trash removal,
- removing flood debris,
- filling of scour erosion up to natural bed or bank level,
- sealing cracks, repairs to head walls, wing walls and aprons,
- replacing sealant in joints, or
- replacing or repairing baffles/roughening elements.
Note: Associated temporary bunds or instream sediment control devices may be waterway barrier works.
- Repair and maintenance of approved fishways are not waterway barrier works if the works match that of the approved constructed designs. Should there be structural modifications that do not meet the approved designs, the works are then considered to be waterway barrier works and an approval will be required.
- Levee banks are not waterway barrier works when they are built parallel to a waterway, and sit outside the main channel width. Any levee that sits within the main channel width will require assessment under Queensland legislation, as they can significantly impact upon lateral fish movement, including that to tributaries or wetlands that connect with floodplain habitat.
- Weeds (aquatic or terrestrial) within a waterwaycan impact on fish movement but their growth does not constitute waterway barrier works. Removal of weeds from a waterway is not waterway barrier works as long as the characteristic of the low flow channel is not impacted, and the banks of the waterway are stabilised to resist against erosion.
- Water quality: Some structures or activities may result in changes to the chemistry or the physical properties of water in a waterway. Whilst these changes may significantly impact on the behaviour of fish and therefore on fish movement, these are not waterway barrier works.
- Re-snagging, placing Large Woody Debris or LUNKERS* into a waterway for the purposes of fish habitat creation, bank stabilisation and/or the reinstatement of an eroded bank is not considered to be waterway barrier works when they do not cause a bund, riffle or weir structure within the waterway.
(*LUNKERS: Little Underwater Neighbourhood Keepers Encompassing Reheotatic Salmonids, are man-made undercut banks used for bank stability and instream habitat creation).
