BURNETT MARY REGION Mary catchment water quality targets

Catchment profile K o l a n C a t c h m e n t Riv y er or g re Under the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan, water quality G H e r v e y B a y targets have been set for each catchment that drains to the Great Barrier Reef. These targets (given over the page) consider land use and iver pollutant loads from each catchment. Isis R S ! a n Woody Island d Childers 2 y ! The Mary catchment covers 9466 km (18% of the Burnett Mary region). C r

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Rainfall averages 1084 mm a year, which results in river discharges to m

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d i n B u r r u m C a t c h m e n t r e u Kangaroo R B k Walah ree Island The Mary catchment is the second largest catchment and has the g ul C Island Doon highest population in the Burnett Mary region. The Mary River begins ! T Turkey !!( Round in the and flows north to the Ramsar-listed Great Biggenden Island

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Garden Island Sandy Strait on the coast between the mainland and Fraser Island. Ý Z[ Z[ Island Stewart Island The Mary River and its network of tributaries capture the majority of !

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Creek, capturing the waters from the northern head of the catchment. T Wide k Bay e Grazing, forestry and conservation are prevalent throughout the re

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ar b Ý catchment, with smaller areas used for sugarcane and cropping in e Z[ e T the lower reaches. The Mary catchment has the greatest area of Bo

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The main land uses are grazing (51%), forestry (20%), and nature W

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Secondary roads Urban and other intensive usesr Maleny is !Ý Irrigated cropping k b ! e Z[!(T e an Mining r Landuse e C R

Dryland cropping r nley R ! ! K Sta Stream/watera inc. dams i . v i 0 10 20 30 40 50 Nature conservation y e l Yarraman c Landsborough Caloundra r ! oo o Other C y Forestry C ! Kilometres k Beerwah Bribie Island S:\OGBR\d170612 GBR catchments map\GBR catchments map_A4P_v03.mxd Page 35 of 35 31 July 2017 2025 water quality targets and priorities Modelled water quality pollutant loads The Mary catchment contributes the largest anthropogenic loads of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and fine End-of-catchment anthropogenic load reductions Pesticides sediment in the region. Most of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen comes from sugarcane, and most of the required from 2013 baseline sediment from streambank erosion. The Mary is one of the five highest contributors of fine sediment of the 35 catchments that drain to the Great Barrier Reef. Dissolved inorganic Fine sediment Particulate Particulate nitrogen (DIN) phosphorus (PP) nitrogen (PN)

To protect at least Dissolved inorganic nitrogen 50% 20% 20% 20% 99% 180 tonnes 130 kilotonnes 160 tonnes 470 tonnes of aquatic species at the end of catchment

The 2025 targets aim to reduce the amounts of fine sediments, nutrients Water quality Sugarcane razing rban (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pesticides flowing to the reef. Each relative priority Sewage treatment plant target for sediment and nutrients is expressed as: (a) the percentage Horticulture Very high Most anthropogenic dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) loads come load reduction required compared with the 2013 estimated load Forestry of each pollutant from the catchment; and (b) the load reductions from sugarcane, grazing and urban areas. High Irrigated cropping required in tonnes. Progress made since 2013 will count towards these Other targets. Previously reported progress between 2009 and 2013 has Moderate already been accounted for when setting the targets. The pesticide Dryland cropping target aims to ensure that concentrations of pesticides at the end of Low each catchment are low enough that 99% of aquatic species are Minimal Fine sediment protected. The targets are ecologically relevant for the Great Barrier Reef, and are necessary to ensure that broadscale land uses have no Not assessed 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 risk assessment priorities for water quality improvement, based on an Streambank razing rban erosion independent report, the 2017 Scientific Consensus Statement. The Forestry priorities reflect scientific assessment of the likely risks of pollutants Horticulture damaging coastal and marine ecosystems. Most anthropogenic fine sediment loads come from streambank erosion, Other grazing, urban and forestry areas. Sugarcane Irrigated cropping

Types of sediment erosion

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Streambank Hillslope Gully

Most sediment erosion comes from streambanks and hillslopes in the Mary catchment.

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