AERIAL BITOU BUSH SPRAYING
Monday, 24 May 2010
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council will be undertaking aerial spraying of Bitou Bush in June 2010. Aerial spraying will be undertaken in the following areas:
- Pelican Point to Broken Bit, North Shore Beach,
- Christmas Bells Plains - Lighthouse Beach, Lake Cathie,
- Grants Knob, Bonny Hills
- South Rainbow Beach, Bonny Hills
Council's Natural Resources Officer, Thor Aaso said, "By spraying the bitou bush on annual basis, we are slowly but surely reducing the area and density of the weed.
"Aerial spraying is the most cost effective measure to try and reduce the problem.
"Under the current aerial spraying program, within the next few years we should see the bitou bush reduced significantly to allow staff to control the noxious weed by ground spraying, Mr Aaso said.
Weather permitting, aerial spraying will be conducted on Tuesday 8 June 2010, between 6am and 4:30pm. In the advent of inclement weather on Tuesday, aerial spraying will be conducted on the next available day within the period of Wednesday 9 to Friday 11 June 2010. Public access around the above areas will be closed on the day of aerial spraying and signage and barricades with be erected on site.
Beach accesses on Lighthouse Beach, Rainbow Beach, Grants Knob, and North Shore Beach will be closed during the day of aerial spraying.
Three kilometres of Ocean Drive at Lake Cathie and Plomer Road, south of Corilla Estate, will be intermittently closed for periods of up to 20mins between the hours of 9am and 3pm on the day of aerial spraying. Traffic Control will be put in place to regulate the flow of traffic in this area.
All works are being undertaken by suitably qualified contractors and the program is designed to reduce and control the growth of Bitou Bush within coastal native plant communities.
Herbicides to be used: Roundup 360 | Roundup Biacitve
Active Ingredient: Glyphosate 360g/L
Licence and Permits: DECCW S12188, APVMA Permit: PER-8468
