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Best Practice Guideline 4 - Foreshore and Creek Bank Stabilisation and Protection
Introduction
The aim of this guideline is to outline the importance of foreshore and riparian vegetation in maintaining stability of banks, and provide advice on revegetating with foreshore and riparian plants for bank stabilisation and protection to prevent or reduce erosion.
While erosion is often a natural process, it may be exacerbated by the removal of natural vegetation from catchments and along stream and foreshore banks. The removal of vegetation in catchments due to urban and rural development has resulted in greater amounts of rainfall run off reaching streams at faster rates due to reduced quantities of vegetation to absorb and slow the rainfall.
Other factors that have influenced the susceptibility of the foreshore to erosion include:
- the removal of riparian vegetation which has weakened and reduced the stability of foreshore banks
- deepening of channels due to increased flows, resulting in steeper and scoured banks
- additional waves from boat wake resulting in unstable banks
Riparian Vegetation helps to protect foreshore banks by strengthening the bank by the root systems of vegetation which reinforce the soil, reducing the speed of flow and dissipating incoming waves, and buttressing by larger plants to help support and capture soil higher on the banks, preventing collapse.
How you can improve foreshore and creek bank stabilisation
- Understand how and why the erosion is occurring
- Work with others to develop solutions (including local and state authorities/professionals)
- Select plant species and methods suitable to address the erosion process occurring
- Establish vegetation as far down the bank as possible and use gentle slopes
- Copy nature and use a range of vegetation species
- Consider the role of snags and woody debris in providing protection and habitat
Legislation Relevant to bank stabilisation works on foreshores
- Water Management Act, 2000 – works within 40m of a watercourse, river or estuary
- Fisheries Management Act, 1994 – protects mangroves and saltmarsh
- Threatened Species Conservation Act – protects saltmarsh as an endangered ecological community
- SEPP (Infrastructure) 2007 – states Pittwater Council does not require development approval to undertake environmental management works such as riparian corridor management, bank stabilisation, weed management, revegetation activities and creation of foreshore access ways
To access the full details of the Best Practice Guidelines click here
Further References
- Guidelines for controlled activities: Riparian Corridors - DWE
- Guidelines for controlled activities: In-stream Works - DWE
- Guidelines for controlled activities: Vegetation Management Plans - DWE
- Streambank Stability Factsheet – Lane and Water Australia
- Primefact 12: Degradation of native riparian vegetation along NSW watercourses - DPI
- Protecting riverbanks with vegetation
