An Update from your Residents Association

Noosa Waters Residents Association | August 2026

Last week your committee sat down with Noosa Council for our quarterly meeting. These catch-ups are where we work through everything to do with our canals, parks, streetscapes and the systems that keep Noosa Waters ticking along. Here is a wrap of what we covered and what it means for you.

A stronger, more transparent partnership with Council

The big one behind the scenes is a new Terms of Reference between the Association and Council, replacing an agreement that dates back to 2000. It has been a genuinely collaborative process, and it is well overdue.

What it means for you is more rigour and more transparency. Going forward, Council will table annual maintenance plans and share the finances behind our levies more openly at every meeting, so we can all see what is planned, what has actually been done, and where the money goes. Water quality results will also be tabled at each meeting, and Council is building an environmental dashboard to make that data easier to follow over time. We will walk you through the new arrangement properly at our AGM, with a clear before-and-after of how things used to work versus how they will work now.

Looking after our water quality

Water quality in the canals is always front of mind for us, and there was plenty to talk about.

We are already seeing a little algae starting to bloom, which is unusually early given how cool the water still is, with the north-facing side around Seahorse  and the Peninsula showing the first signs. Council is putting together a proactive algae management plan, so there is a clear trigger for action and a quicker clean-up when blooms appear, rather than waiting for it to become a problem. 

We talked through smarter ways to run the canal pump more generally, including timing the intake of fresh river water to the high tide to improve water quality, salinity and reduce turbidity. Council has proposed a system that runs on a tide meter that is estimated to cost circa $30k, there is no current budget for this so it would need to be funded from a levy from residents.  We are exploring lower costs alternatives.  

We will be putting a formal submission together, as part of the wider Noosa River Catchment Workshop and the SEQ Resilient Rivers program, our goal is a simple one: that the water Noosa Waters returns to the river is better than the water it draws in. If you have interest in this space we would love to hear from you.  

The lock and weir

Good news here. Since the major renewal a couple of years ago, the lock and weir is performing really well. Under the new arrangement, Council will now share the maintenance and inspection schedule with us each year so we can see it is being properly looked after. There is also a plan to upgrade the lock's ageing electronic control unit. The current one is outdated and parts are no longer available, so replacing it protects reliability and will allow faster remote fixes when a gate needs attention, rather than waiting on a call-out. The upgrade has been funded and will be planned for execution this financial year.  

Keeping the estate looking its best

We know the entry statements have been looking tired. Your committee has obtained quotes and approved funding to give them a proper clean, repaint and touch-up across the estate, and we are now getting that moving again after it stalled earlier in the year.

We also flagged a small park near the saltwater bridge and Seahorse Place that has become overgrown, and it has gone on the list for attention. 

Planning ahead for our infrastructure

Noosa Waters has a fairly unique set of assets, from the salinity pump and its pipework to the canal revetment walls and the acoustic barrier along Eenie Creek Road. Council has committed to preparing a dedicated Asset Management Plan for the estate, led by their Asset Management Coordinator, with the core of it in place by December to guide future budgets. This is a big step towards making sure these assets are properly maintained and renewed over the long term, with funding planned ahead, rather than dealt with only when something goes wrong.

As part of that, some works are already on the radar:

• Salinity pump pipework. The pipeline that feeds fresh water into the canal system has been showing its age, with some failures over the past year. Council is planning a relining program over the next couple of years, timed around the cooler king tides to keep any disruption to a minimum.

  
  

• Acoustic barrier (Eenie Creek Road). Recently inspected, with some immediate patching and vegetation clearing to be done shortly, and a longer-term renewal planned over the coming years to meet current standards.

  
  

• Canal revetment walls. Council is heading out to assess the priority areas that need attention, working from the mapping we have built up together.

  
  

The streetlights

We raised our ongoing frustration with the condition of the streetlights. Being honest with you, this one is stuck. The lights are owned by Energex, not Council, and neither has funding available to renew them. We will keep advocating, but we did not want to pretend there is a quick fix.

Getting involved

A quick thank you to everyone who contributes. We have just welcomed a new secretary Grant Hollaway onto the committee, which is fantastic. 

There is always room for more hands and more ideas. If you would like to be involved, or you simply have something you would like raised, please get in touch.

Thanks, as always, for being part of the Noosa Waters community.

Adrian Reed President, Noosa Waters Residents Association