C&R Consulting have a long history of working with Developers and Commercial Industry on the environmental and ecological aspects of new development. Our staff have vast experience with all levels of government who have environmental oversight, and a detailed knowledge of various codes and each of the steps needed to guide a development through to completion. C&R Consulting has extensive problem solving expertise and a well-earned reputation for offering cost effective solutions to complex environmental problems.
Services provided by C&R Consulting are outlined below. These areas have been divided into disciplines. However the main advantage provided by C&R is a knowledge of the inter-relationships between these disciplines, providing a much more comprehensive assessment.
After years of operation, some industrial developments and facilities may inadvertently contaminate nearby or adjacent land with a variety of chemicals. Sometimes, a lot may already be contaminated before construction begins, posing a problem for developers who may have to front the cost of remediation.
C&R Consulting specialise in contaminated site management and cost effective remediation strategies. Our wide ranging experience includes investigations for the presence of petroleum based compounds, toxic metals and acid sulphates, for a variety of industrial sites including decommissioned meatworks, haulage operators and harbour facilities.
C&R offer contaminating site sampling as a stand alone service, or as part of a comprehensive contaminated site investigation.
Industrial and other land developments always have the potential to adversely impact upon the surrounding and downstream environment. However, these effects can be mitigated, prevented and compensated for.
C&R Consulting have worked closely with several developers throughout the Fitzroy and Burdekin Basins in northern and central Queensland. Past projects conducted by C&R include the identification of groundwater depend ecosystems in the Gulf and Mitchell Rives, determination of the impacts on aquatic fauna of sand dredging in the Ross River and a baseline study of marine fauna prior to construction of an ocean terminal in Townsville.
Using our well developed knowledge of aquatic estuarine, coastal and near shore ecology, we are able to provide environmental services to a broad range of development projects to ensure legal compliance with all relevant state and federal law, to ensure best possible environmental work practices are employed and to ensure developments are completed sustainably with minimal impact. Our services include:
In conjunction with regulatory compliance water sampling and reporting, C&R Consulting also provide comprehensive Environmental Management Plans. Due to the huge range in natural variability and conditions that exist throughout Queensland and the rest of Australia, these plans are individually tailored to each situation in order to assist the developer as much as possible.
C&R have already provided several site based Environmental Management Plans for developments in areas within or adjacent to those administered by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). These have included a range of sites, including housing developments, industrial subdivisions and road construction projects.
All environmental management plans are produce in accordance with appropriate relevant legislation and guidelines, and include information on the management of:
Prior to the onset of construction, it is usually required that a flora survey take place so that the presence of endangered or environmentally valuable vegetation can be established.
C&R Consulting have completed frequent flora surveys and assessments for developments in northern Queensland, and are highly knowledgeable with regards to the vegetation of the seasonally arid tropics. One of our recent accomplishments involved the creation of a native species nursery in preparation for the future rehabilitation of a site in Cleveland Bay, Townsville.
We can offer:
Geomorphology is the combination of geological investigation, soil science, hydrology, vegetation analysis and sediment analysis that allows for an understanding of processes operating on a local, regional, floodplain and catchment scale. Gaining an understanding of both the current processes operating in the landscape and past processes that may still be playing a role leads to a much better understanding of terrain at varying scales.
Geomorphic investigations can be undertaken on their own for a particular piece of infrastructure (i.e. levees, dams, weirs, mines, highways and culverts) or can be undertaken as part of a much larger study.
The repeated wet/dry cycling in the seasonally arid tropics cause soils there to become erosive and dispersive. In addition, the short lived, fast flowing nature of many watercourses in the region can lead to erosion, flooding and sediment deposition. These pose distinctive problems for developers and may increase construction costs.
C&R Consulting possesses a unique understanding of geomorphic processes operating in the seasonally arid tropics and how these impact infrastructure construction requirements. Services offered by C&R Consulting in the field of geomorphology include:
These assessments require the integration of mathematical and environmental data sets, a process often overlooked with a pure ‘engineering’ design focus for infrastructure.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an important management tool in Environmental Planning and Resource Management. The ability to rapidly assess and analyse various sets of data in one environment / media can be crucial to cost-effective project management, ecological planning and resource management. C&R Consulting offer new and innovative services in the field of GIS as a stand-alone service, or in conjunction with any other C&R Consulting services. This includes a total mapping process, from infield collection of spatial data to complex evaluation of environmental factors.
A new area recently developed by C&R Consulting in the GIS field is Geo-Referenced Video Mapping (GRV Mapping). GRV Mapping integrates DVD Video image with GPS data in a format that can be overlain on to aerial photographs, satellite imagery, topographic, soils, geological and/or vegetation GIS data, to produce an extremely useful tool for investigative planning, asset and resource management, environmental management and monitoring, auditing, and most other development projects. Geo-Referenced Video Mapping solutions can significantly reduce project costs by reducing the number of site visits and providing a visual and temporal record of progress or environmental impact.
C&R Consulting have formed a working alliance with AME Surveys. We also work closely with a number of Town Planners. These alliances allow us to offer a complete package to the client, providing a combined, seamless approach from early exploratory investigations to the final lodgement with Local councils and other regulatory authorities.
In conjunction with AME Surveys Pty Ltd, we offer:
