Technical Guidance for Water Quality Objectives (Wqos) Setting for Tasmania
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Technical Guidance for Water Quality Objectives (WQOs) Setting for Tasmania August 2020 Publishing Information Citation: Environment Protection Authority (2020) Technical Guidance for Water Quality Objectives (WQOs) Setting for Tasmania, Environment Protection Authority, Hobart, Tasmania. Date: August 2020 Enquiries: Environment Protection Authority GPO Box 1550 Hobart, Tasmania 7001 Telephone: (03) 6165 4599 Email: [email protected] Web: www.epa.tas.gov.au Copyright: © The Crown in the Right of Tasmania Disclaimer: The information provided in this document is provided in good faith. The Crown, its officers, employees and agents do not accept liability however arising, including liability for negligence, for any loss resulting from the use of or reliance upon the information in this document and/or reliance on its availability at any time. ISBN-13: 978-1-74380-072-0 Acknowledgments The data management framework used to compile the data and determine guideline values for physical, chemical and biological indicators is due to the efforts of the Scientific and Technical Water Section in EPA Tasmania. The data providers to enable this compilation are as follows: • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) • Cradle Coast NRM • Derwent Estuary Program (and associated partners) • Forestry Tasmania • Hydro Tasmania • Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) • Marine Farming Branch, Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment • NRM North • Tamar Estuary and Esk Rivers Program (and associated partners) • Tasmanian Shellfish Quality Assurance, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) • Water Assessment Branch, Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Foreword This technical guidance document provides detail on the process for deriving water quality guideline values, and the use of those values in the water quality objective setting process by the EPA Board. It is a technical resource for assessing and managing ambient water quality. Inland, estuarine, coastal and marine surface waters and groundwater represent a single water resource. The Tasmanian State Policy on Water Quality Management 1997 (SPWQM) applies the water quality management approach recommended by the National Water Quality Management Strategy (NWQMS) and the management framework in the Australian New Zealand Guideline for Fresh and Marine Water Quality 2018 (ANZG 2018). Consistent with these national guidelines, the State Policy objectives aim to protect or enhance water quality for the identified protected environmental values for Tasmanian waters. The protection of aquatic ecosystems is a protected environmental value in common to all water types. On this basis, Default Guideline Values (DGVs) for aquatic ecosystems have been developed in accordance with the NWQMS. Tasmania’s surface waters are represented by ephemeral to perennial flowing and standing inland water bodies, small to moderate tidal range estuaries, and coastal and marine regions. Groundwater is intrinsically linked to surface water by aquifers through varying rock types and rock features with varying degrees of connectivity. Topographic features and climatic zones define the twelve broad Australian Drainage Divisions for inland waters. Tasmanian inland waters are represented by a single national division (Drainage Division 3). DGVs for aquatic ecosystems have been set for the State, four hydrological regions, and for each of the 48 surface water catchments. For estuarine waters, the ability of the water to flow from rivers to the coast determines the flushing class. Estuaries can be well flushed, poorly flushed or fluctuate between an open or closed state. DGVs for aquatic ecosystems have been set for the State, and for each flushing class and critical event for the estuary type. For marine and coastal waters, Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) is the best fit for regionalisation. DGVs for aquatic ecosystems have been set for the State, four IMCRA provincial region and nine IMCRA mesoscale bioregions. Topographic and geological features and hydrology define the ability of water to flow between groundwater and surface water regions. DGVs for aquatic ecosystems have been set for the State, four connectivity classes and for thirteen connected water regions. The regionalisation approach for each water type allows for increasingly specific guideline values for inland, estuarine, coastal and marine and ground water ecosystems. Table of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 National Context ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 1.2 State Context ............................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 Water Quality Objectives Setting Process ........................................................................................................... 9 1.4 Default Guideline Values ......................................................................................................................................... 10 2. Regionalisation of Tasmania for DGVs for Aquatic Ecosystems ..................................................... 11 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 11 2.2 Freshwater .................................................................................................................................................................. 12 2.3 Estuarine waters ........................................................................................................................................................ 14 2.4 Coastal and Marine waters ..................................................................................................................................... 15 2.4.1 IMCRA 4.0 ......................................................................................................................................... 15 2.4.2 OSRA .................................................................................................................................................. 16 2.4 Ground Water ........................................................................................................................................................... 18 3. Ecosystem Condition and Level of Protection .................................................................................... 20 3.1 Ecosystem Condition ............................................................................................................................................... 20 3.1.1 High Ecological Value Ecosystems ................................................................................................ 20 3.1.2 Slightly to Moderately Disturbed Ecosystems ........................................................................... 20 Slightly Modified Ecological Value ....................................................................................................................... 20 Moderately Disturbed Ecosystems .................................................................................................................... 20 3.1.3 Highly Disturbed Ecosystem .......................................................................................................... 20 3.3 Determining Ecological Condition ........................................................................................................................ 21 3.4 Level of Protection ................................................................................................................................................... 21 3.5 Protected Environmental Values – Community Values ................................................................................... 22 3.5.1 Inland Waters .................................................................................................................................... 23 3.5.2 Estuarine Waters .............................................................................................................................. 24 3.5.3 Coastal and Marine Waters ........................................................................................................... 24 3.5.4 Groundwater ..................................................................................................................................... 25 4. Indicator Values for Environmental Values ........................................................................................... 25 4.1 Aquatic Ecosystem Protection ............................................................................................................................... 25 4.2 Recreational Waters................................................................................................................................................. 26 4.3 Agricultural/Primary Industry ................................................................................................................................. 26 4.4 Drinking Water.........................................................................................................................................................