Black Ross () Water Quality Improvement Plan

Upper Sub basin factsheet

The Upper Ross River Sub Basin includes the Ross River (above the ),

Six Mile Creek, Toonpan Lagoon, Antill Plains Creek, Sachs Creek and Mt Stuart

catchments and waterways. There are also a number of smaller waterways that have been included in the catchments of these larger waterways. 7

Central Creek Lansdowne Creek Ross River

Woodstock

Six Mile Creek

Toonpan Lagoon

Ross River Dam

Antill Plains Creek Sachs Creek Mt Stuart

Stuart

Alligator Creek Localities Major roads lines rail Major boundary basin Sub & number boundary Catchment Utilities & communication Transport generation/transmission Electricity & disposal treatment Waste & industrial Manufacturing Services Mining Residential forestry Production forestry Plantation conservation Nature vegetation natural Grazing horticulture Perennial horticulture perennial Irrigated horticulture seasonal Irrigated production animal Intensive cropping Irrigated Cropping Channel/aqueduct Marsh/wetland Lake/dam/ River use Other minimal

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2005 Land Use Legend:

19°16'S 19°45'S 19°21'S 19°24'S 19°27'S 19°30'S 19°33'S 19°36'S 19°39'S 146°57'E Creek Creek Alligator Alligator km 8

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Upper Ross River Sub Basin Sub River Ross Upper 2005 Land Use Land use The Upper hectares). (~75,500 in size kilometres square 755 is Basin Sub River Ross The Upper drinking raw main Townsville’s Dam, River the Ross for the catchment is Basin Sub River Ross supply. water and (72%) and conservation grazing by dominated is Basin Sub Ross in the Upper Land use area. basin the sub 6% of approximately Dam occupies River The Ross (21%). areas natural P basin The sub Basin. Sub River Ross the Upper within residents 1,357 counted The 2006 census Woodstock Woodstock. towards lands rural and Stuart Mount of the west to areas includes Basin. Sub River Ross in the Upper included not is township the time at years 38 reported at is population Basin Sub River Ross the Upper of age The median average the above is household per people 3.0 at size household Average Census. 2006 the of people). (2.8 area government local Townsville the for occupancy

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Black Upper Ross River Sub Basin 7

146°33'E 2005 Land Use Upper Ross River Sub Basin

Land Use Ha % Principal Land Use Ha % Upper Ross River Sub Basin Land Use Nature conservation 8,218 10.9 Conservation and natural 15,680 20.8 0.3 5.8 Other minimal use 7,461 10.0 areas 0.6 0.9 Grazing natural vegetation 54,082 71.7 Grazing 54,082 71.7 20.8 Residential 647 0.9 Rural residential 646 0.9 Irrigated cropping 63 <0.1 Irrigated perennial horticulture 323 0.4 Intensive agriculture 422 0.6 Irrigated seasonal horticulture 35 <0.1

Manufacturing and industrial 11 <0.1 71.7 Mining 173 0.2 Urban 259 0.3 Services 75 0.1 Reservoir/dam 4,332 5.7 River 27 <0.1 Water and wetlands 4,372 5.8 Marsh/wetland 12 <0.1

Totals 75,460 0.31005.8 75,460 100 0.6 0.30.30.35.85.85.8 0.9 0.60.60.6 0.4 2.5 5.4 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.3 4.5 0.90.90.9 0.9 17.7 0.1 Note: Totals may not tally due to rounding of sub totals 20.8 18.9 20.820.820.8 23.5 0.3 30.9 Land Use by Catchment

Ha % Ha % Ha % Ha 90.9 % 63.1 75.3 64.2 Land Use Ross River (atd) (7-1) Six Mile Creek (7-2) Toonpan Lagoon (7-3) Antill Plains Creek (7-4)

Conservation and natural areas 1,626 5.4 1,82171.7 18.9 3,983 23.5 3,315 30.9 71.771.771.7 0.30.3 5.85.8 Grazing 27,487 0.60.6 90.9 6,077 63.1 12,757 75.3 6,888 64.2 0.90.9 Rural residential 0 20.820.80 0 11 0.1

Intensive agriculture 279 0.9 0 112 0.716.3 29 0.3 19.3 1.8 Urban 109 0.4 26 0.3 49 0.3 0 0.0 0.1 Water and wetlands 747 2.5 1,701 17.7 34 0.2 484 0.04.5 Totals 30,247 9,625 16,935 15.4 10,72645.3 80.6 0.4 2.5 71.771.7 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.3 4.5 Note: atd is above the dam 0.40.40.42.52.52.55.4 0.70.70.70.30.30.30.20.20.2 0.1 0.30.30.34.54.54.5 0.9 5.45.45.4 17.7 18.9 21.1 0.10.10.1 0.90.90.9 17.717.717.7 18.918.918.9 23.5 0.3 23.523.523.5 0.30.30.3 30.9 30.930.930.9

90.9 63.1 75.3 64.2 90.990.990.9 63.163.163.1 75.375.375.3 64.264.264.2

Land Use Sachs0.40.4 C2.5reek2.5 (7-5) Mt Stuart (7-6) 0.70.70.30.30.20.2 0.30.34.54.5 5.45.4 0.10.1 0.90.9 17.717.7 18.918.9 Conservation and natural areas 1,873 45.3 3,062 80.6 The Upper Ross23.523.5 River is one of the main 0.30.3 16.3 19.3 30.930.9 Grazing 16.387216.316.3 21.1 19.3119.319.3 0.0 sub basins requiring special attention in 1.8 1.81.81.8 0.0 Rural residential 634 15.4 0.00.00.0 2 0.0 0.1 terms of water quality management, as 0.10.10.1 90.990.9 0.0 63.163.1 75.375.3 64.264.2 3 0.1 0.00.00.0 0 Intensive agriculture it is the main water supply catchment for 15.4 45.3 80.6 Urban 15.415.415.475 1.845.345.345.3 0 80.680.680.6 the Townsville region. While land use is

Water and wetlands 21.1673 16.3 733 19.3 U pper R oss R iver S ub B 21.121.121.1 Totals 4,130 3,798 ostensibly dominated by grazing, there are a number of additional pressures that 16.316.3 19.319.3 1.81.8 can impact water quality in the sub basin, 0.00.0 0.10.1 0.00.0 including peri-urban and rural residential

15.415.4 45.345.3 80.680.6 activities, and potential urban development.

21.121.1 asin

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[ More information about the basins, sub basins and catchments of the Black Ross WQIP can be found in; Basins, Catchments and Receiving Waters of the Black Ross Water Quality Improvement Plan Area (Gunn and Manning 2009) ]

black ross (townsville) wqip Water Resource Condition

Despite a very limited dataset, the Black Ross WQIP area water quality condition assessment (Connell Wagner 2008) indicated that the water quality of this sub basin was most likely to be slightly to moderately impacted.

The data associated with the Ross Dam Catchment was all taken from within the Ross River Legend: Dam so it was not considered to be representative of the various catchments feeding into Drainage - Ecological Impact the dam. Recent data from Sachs Creek generally confirms the rating for this sub basin i.e. No data slightly to moderately impacted. However this may Insufficient data only be indicative of the land use and management Healthy/Slightly impacted S activities of the Sachs Creek Catchment and a c h s

Slightly/Moderately impacted C

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7-3 (WQOs) derived from the Water Localities Quality Guidelines (EPA 2006) for the Central Coast Region for lowland streams Major roads Major rail lines Sub basin boundary 0 1 2 4 6 8km

7-1 Catchment boundary & number

Water Quality and Water Quality Objectives (WQOs)

The water quality condition data does not match the WQOs for many of the water quality indicators in the Upper Ross River Sub Basin. It should be noted that the water quality data for Lake Ross has been compared to the WQOs for lakes, which are more stringent than the WQOs for lowland streams.

The water quality data from Sachs Creek indicates above average concentrations of nutrients, which also have the potential to impact water quality in Lake Ross. U pper R oss R iver S ub B

Comparing WQOs with Water Quality

Upper Ross River Sub Basin DIN Org N TN FRP TP TSS

Lake Ross (Ross Dam) 7-1 8100% 852% 860% 8200% 8200% 4*80%

Sachs Creek 7-5 ND 441% 813% 845% 4 4*30%

Notes: Tick/cross denotes if the WQO is met (4) or not (8) for the waterway based on the median value for the

asin water quality indicator. The percentage indicates the amount by which the WQO is met or not met (the difference Alligator Creek between the WQO and water quality condition median as a percentage of the WQO). No % is listed if the water quality condition is the same as the WQO. ND is no data. 7 DIN is dissolved inorganic nitrogen, Org N is organic nitrogen, TN is total nitrogen, FRP is filterable reactive phosphorus, TP is total phosphorus and TSS is total suspended solids (sediment).

* indicates inconsistency or a wide variation in the data, or insufficient data to calculate percentiles.

Disclaimer: Townsville City Council ¹ indicates data is dated and may not reflect current condition. advises that the information in this document is derived from a number of different sources. The information [ More information about water quality conditions and WQOs can be found in; Environmental Values, Water Quality may not be accurate or up to date and Objectives and Targets for the Black Ross Water Quality Improvement Plan (Gunn, Manning, and McHarg 2009), and should not be solely relied upon for Water Quality Condition of the Black and Ross River Basins (Connell Wagner 2008) ] decision-making purposes.