FITZROY REGION Fitzroy catchment water quality targets

B o w e n B o g i e Walkerston Twin Catchment profile B u r d e k i n S u b - c a t c h m e n t Cays

S u b - c a t c h m e n t Mackay (North) r e Paul Under the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan, water quality iv R Sarina Beach Reef r Mystery Cay tto targets have been set for each catchment that drains to the Great u Sarina S Cape B e Palmerston Barrier Reef. These targets (given over the page) consider land use and ree k e C C Middle Island

d k l r Ea e Nebo e g e le fi e

pollutant loads from each catchment. e r k l C South Island Frigate Cay ne D n

ia u 2 m F Carmila Long The Fitzroy catchment covers 142,552 km (92% of the Fitzroy region). on d C Island reek I s a a c S u b - c a t c h m e n t Snake S W A I N I Cays (No 1) Rainfall averages 646 mm a year, which results in river discharges to the L sa o ac R E E F S gan R Cape C ive B r o a d coast of about 6018 GL each year. ree r Quail Island k k er Townshend ee iv S o u n d Mangrove r R Leicester Townshend C s

r Island (No 1) x k Island

o St Lawrence Island

o n F e n Shoalwater The Fitzroy catchment covers the majority of the Fitzroy region. Lying e Rosewood r o Bay

C C Island e

inland of the region’s smaller coastal catchments, it is the largest k

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t Dysart Cape Clinton s catchment draining to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. The Fitzroy i k M ee lf C r Cape Manifold River forms the main channel transporting run-off from the whole Belyando Sub-catchment R o Middlemount Marlborough R catchment, which comprises an extensive network of tributaries. B ely ope a r Clermont r nd C e o r v R e i Some of these are an extensive area in their own right. There are k ek R

iv e Great Keppel N e e e r r kenzi Riv e r Tieri c a C a roy (Wop-pa)

M z five main tributaries: the Connors and Isaac rivers in the north of the t t a i

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v s F Island

e e Capella her catchment; the Nogoa River in the western reaches of the catchment, C T M a c k e n z i e S u b - c a t c h m e n t

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m Fitzroy Sub-catchment

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a which joins the Mackenzie; and the Dawson River in the south of the n Emu Park

i T h e r e s a C r e e k o Cape Keppel Heron catchment, which also joins the Mackenzie to form the Fitzroy River. n S u b - c a t c h m e n t Ke ppe l Capricorn C Gracemere Ba y Cape Reef r Emerald Sands e Keppel Agriculture is the major land use in the catchment; this is mostly grazing e Blackwater Casuarina Island k Dingo but also includes large areas of cropping, forestry and horticulture. Bluff Mount Morgan Balaclava Curtis Island Island (No 2) Mount Alpha C Facing Island o Larcom The Fitzroy catchment also contains a diverse array of wetlands, m r

e e Gladstone t iv waterways, floodplains and lagoon systems. It includes a number of R R i D e Boyne Island Tannum Sands A v e

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D C lp r n Boyne

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a urban centres, including Rockhampton and Emerald, and the area is a R Hummock v k r i l e iv e Calliope Island R Hill Island C e Woorabinda lid known for mining. re a r e

e C M C o t k g

o e r N im e Bororen n e V Baralaba k a o a l s Miriam Vale Nogoa Sub-catchment n P aC

Land uses in the Fitzroy catchment d

y r k ee o mb k Kr o it ek

e C re ClaudeR i ver C r Thangool

The main land uses are grazing (80%), forestry (6%), and nature e Banana e

k Rosedale k Moura conservation (6%). T ee r hr Avondale C e K e o ia M la Burnett Heads C o m e t S u b - c a t c h m e n t o n m Bargara

a o River n

0% 20 40 60 80 100 Z

Monto C Bundaberg

r Theodore N e og o R e iv k Gin H e r v e y B a y e r Gin Hervey D a w s o n S u b - c a t c h m e n t Bay iver R Childers Eidsvold nett Robin r Turkey s u on Legend Creek B Biggenden Island razing Forestry GBR WHA boundary Grazing Maryborough B affl e Cre ek Mundubbera r Fraser e T v

!( Sewage treatment plant (STP) Irrigated croppingi Island

Daws J i o u Nature n Taroom Ý n R v R H R ubur er utton C e a Z[ A Gayndah ry Tin iv r Dams and weirs a T ree n k Dryland cropping i k n conservation d e M

a a Augathella e Can

Injune h r B n Mangrove oyn B C e Sugarcane a

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Dryland cropping r Bay

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m e Seagrassr e

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Irrigated cropping rom a a b h CatchmentC BananaKilkivan Wandoan C Proston re Other Fitzroy Highways ek Dairy S Murgon tu Water Catchment Secondary roads a Urban and otherGym intensivepie uses r t Cherbourg R Mining Noosa Urban Landuse iv Wondai Mitchell er Cooroy Morven Nature conservation Stream/water inc. dams Horticulture 0 30 60 90 120 150 Kingaroy Imbil Yandina Miles Forestry Other Kilometres Roma Kumbia Nanango Nambour C:\WORKING\3_WORK\Nyssa\GBR catchments map_A4P_v03_Jeremy_Edit_Fitzroy.mxd Page of 23 August 2017 2025 water quality targets and priorities Modelled water quality pollutant loads The Fitzroy has minimal anthropogenic loads of dissolved inorganic nitrogen. End-of-catchment anthropogenic load reductions Pesticides required from 2013 baseline The Fitzroy catchment contributes the largest loads of anthropogenic fine sediment in the region, and is the second biggest contributor of the 35 catchments that drain to the Great Barrier Reef. Most of the sediment Dissolved inorganic Fine sediment Particulate Particulate comes from grazing lands, and includes gully and streambank erosion. nitrogen (DIN) phosphorus (PP) nitrogen (PN)

To protect at least Fine sediment maintain 30% 30% 30% 99% current load 390 kilotonnes 380 tonnes 640 tonnes of aquatic species at the end of catchment

The 2025 targets aim to reduce the amounts of fine sediments, nutrients Water quality Streambank razing Dryland cropping erosion (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pesticides flowing to the reef. Where relative priority Forestry there are minimal anthropogenic pollutant loads, the aim is to maintain Other current water quality so there are no increases in loads. Each target Very high Most anthropogenic fine sediment loads come from streambank Urban for sediment and nutrients is expressed as: (a) the percentage load erosion, grazing and dryland cropping areas. High Horticulture reduction required compared with the 2013 estimated load of each pollutant from the catchment; and (b) the load reductions required Moderate in tonnes. Progress made since 2013 will count towards these targets. Previously reported progress between 2009 and 2013 has already Low been accounted for when setting the targets. The pesticide target Minimal Types of sediment erosion aims to ensure that concentrations of pesticides at the end of each 0% 100 catchment are low enough that 99% of aquatic species are protected. Not assessed The targets are ecologically relevant for the Great Barrier Reef, and are necessary to ensure that broadscale land uses have no detrimental effect on the reef’s health and resilience.

A high percentage reduction target may not necessarily mean it is the highest priority. The priorities (ranked by colour) reflect the relative Streambank ully Hillslope risk assessment priorities for water quality improvement, based on an independent report, the 2017 Scientific Consensus Statement. The Most sediment erosion comes from streambanks and gullies in the priorities reflect scientific assessment of the likely risks of pollutants Fitzroy catchment. damaging coastal and marine ecosystems.

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