TOTAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCEPTS

Completing construction, development, civil, rehabilitation, emergency access, road and rail, primary industry and national park works across Queensland and NSW, utilising its own fleet of specialist commercial equipment, TEC uses its 40 years of experience to provide positive environmentally focused outcomes that protect the Australian landscape.

Specialising in track and trail construction, stormwater management, forestry mulching and fire breaks, along with easement management, weed control and acreage mowing, among other things, TEC aids government and developers to minimise risk and enhance commercial property value through landscape and maintenance services.

A certified professional with multiple accreditations, Peter Sands, CEO and General Manager of TEC, understands the importance of forestry maintenance and environmental rehabilitation. ODS sat down with Peter, as an experienced and knowledgeable professional of environmental services, to understand how important such works are in helping to maintain our natural landscapes and provide infrastructure for greater functionality and safety.

Q.     Given the harsh nature of our sunburnt country, what are the greatest threats to our native landscape when it comes to commercial development and how do
you mitigate this?

A.     I believe there needs to be a balance of retained green corridors and to improve them with revegetation to create more wildlife habitat and safe movement, in addition to well-planned and maintained WSUD assets to protect our waterways and runoffs. Where new developments interface with natural bushland or reserves, we need to create walking track access to allow residents to enjoy what it is on offer while protecting its natural beauty from vandalism.

Q.     How effective are fire breaks and trails in bushfire prone areas? What does it take to make them safe?

A.     Fire breaks and trails are an extremely important aspect of protecting assets and life. Unfortunately, funding to maintain these is falling short, allowing the fire breaks and trails to become overgrown with vegetation, and in a lot of cases tracks are washed out or in disrepair. In many cases, due to Covid-19, costs to councils and government for building and maintenance have fallen well behind. Even with the best of intentions and reduced access on these trails, issues only become apparent in an emergency — usually too late. It needs to be remembered, at these times, trails and tracks are often used by volunteer rural firefighters in vehicles carrying live loads of water, which adds to the instability of the situation.

Q.     TEC also undertake a lot of wetland and bioretention basin construction. What benefits do these projects contribute to a new development?

A.     All WSUD assets, being bioretention basins, wet detention basins, stormwater rock swales and artificial wetlands, are all extremely important in filtering and collecting contaminants before stormwater enters rivers, creeks and waterways. TEC partner with clean-water professionals to provide viable urban water solutions under a scope of works that include repair and maintainenance to clean these assets and ensure minimal impact to the natural environment from new developments.

Q.     Being a preferred partner for civil works across Queensland and NSW, what are the key features that make TEC so well equipped to handle such projects?

A.     As an environmental landscape provider, TEC has endeavoured to acquire specialised equipment and attachments to minimise our environmental footprint on civil works projects. While our equipment is only a small end of the business, it gives us the advantage of controlling the impact on the landscape and combining our knowledge and skills to achieve the best possible outcome for any project.

Q.     What are the consequences to a project that doesn’t correctly address erosion control and stabilisation issues?

A.     If erosion control and stabilisation issues are not correctly addressed, you have a few consequences and risks. First and foremost is watery contamination and silting. Silting affects water flow in high rain events, possibly leading to flooding beyond the normal. Contamination of waterways is the reason WSUD assets have become a necessity. Risks from improper control and stabilisation can include liability risks for injury or legislative requirements placed upon DA approvals. Other factors include dust control during construction and stabilisation of disturbed ground.

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COMPANY
Total Environmental Concepts
P   1300 135 743
E   info@totalenvironmentalconcepts.com.au
W  totalenvironmentalconcepts.com.au