Total Environmental concepts is a Brisbane environmental services company that specialises in fire track and trail construction, stormwater management and biobasin maintenance, and a variety of other key services for councils and commercial project managers.
As part of their work, Total Environmental Concepts aims to reduce risk and enhance landscape maintenance across civil, construction and development industries. Utilising a fleet of specialised equipment allows us to provide positive, environmentally focussed outcomes.
Ultimately, Total Environmental Concepts understands how important these works are to forestry maintenance and overall environmental rehabilitations, and has given some insight as to how important these services are to helping maintain natural landscapes.
Given the harsher nature of our country, what are the greatest threats to our native landscape when it comes to commercial development and how do you mitigate this?
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.
How effective are fire breaks and trails in bushfire prone areas? What does it take to make them safe?
Fire breaks and trails are an extremely important aspect of protecting assets and life. Unfortunately, funding to maintain these is falling short, meaning the fire breaks and trails then 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.
On completion, batters were mulched and replanted with jute netting to high water level, to protect the embankment during the
You undertake a lot of wetland and bioretention basin construction. What benefits do these projects contribute to a new development?
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. At Total Environmental Concepts, we 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.
Being a preferred partner for civil works across Queensland and northern New South Wales, what are the key features that make Total Environmental Concepts so well equipped to handle such projects?
As an environmental landscape provider, Total Environmental Concepts 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.
What are the consequences to a project that doesn’t correctly address erosion control and stabilisation issues?
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.
To get started with your project, contact Total Environmental Concepts today to discuss how our rebuilding and bioretention services can help you.
