BURNETT MARY REGION Burnett catchment water quality targets

! B o k y Catchment profile Biloela ! it ree n mb C e B Kroo R a K ff e i l arib v C Banana o e ! e r r Under the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan, water quality ! e Ck B o y n e e B C k a oe re e k n Thangool orth arib targets have been set for each catchment that drains to the Great a N K n G C a t c h m e n t a r ! Moura Cre e e G Ck k v l d B a f f l e C a t c h m e n t Barrier Reef. These targets (given over the page) consider land use and K il a r i le s fo

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n o ! n ! C Ý D g pollutant loads from each catchment. a r a a C e ek Z[ w l Rosedale re C s e r Barubbra o k e e

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discharges to the coast of about 1076 GL each year. Ca tle Z[! K o l a n C a t c h m e n t T !!(B s Monto Ý !(! Ý .

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R region, with the bulk of the catchment area sitting inland behind the ive Z[ C r Ý H e r v e y B a y r e t Z[ y R n r iver Baffle, Kolan, Burrum and Mary catchments. The captures i o l g F i t z r o y C a t c h m e n t e p r S G the waters from the whole catchment, with its headwaters rising k ee nCr

aste r from the in the southernmost point of the Burnett Ý E r Z[ s R ive

Childers Isi Mary region. Five major tributaries, Three Moon Creek, Auburn River, Ý Sa ! Z[ n d Hervey Bay

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e at various points as it makes its way to the coast where its waters e Woody ! Eidsvold k Kangaroo Island discharge into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. There are areas of A Island u R b Turkey nR. u e k o i e s rn d re sugarcane and horticulture near the coast but the dominant land aw R gul C Island D ive C n r S J o o t o hn r ! D use is grazing. The township of Bundaberg sits near the mouth of the C ee ! Walah r k

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Land uses in the Burnett catchment a r e e e a Bay

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e C K ga ! T Ý !( e ri n Sewage treatment plant (STP) Irrigated croppingk B a a r oyn nd Cooroy razing Forestry Nature u e Z[ Imbil ab iver ! (B Sugar mill Dryland cropping rr R !

conservation Bu Ý k Eumundi Z[ Dams and weirs Sugarcane k ee C ! ba r Dryland cropping ab C y Y Yandina ! e Mangrove Horticulture l d ! Irrigated cropping u Kenilworth Nambour

Seagrass Banana N O ! Ý b ! Miles i O k ! Z[ b k Urban e ! i C Catchmente Dairy C o ! r Kumbia l ! k re d C e e u

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S:\OGBR\d170612 GBR catchments map\GBR catchments map_A4P_v03.mxd Page 33 of 35 31 July 2017 2025 water quality targets and priorities Modelled water quality pollutant loads The Burnett catchment contributes the second largest anthropogenic loads of dissolved inorganic nitrogen End-of-catchment anthropogenic load reductions Pesticides and fine sediment in the region. Most of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen comes from sugarcane, and most of required from 2013 baseline the sediment from streambank erosion. The Burnett 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 70% 20% 20% 20% 99% 150 tonnes 85 kilotonnes 29 tonnes 68 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 Sewage treatment (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pesticides flowing to the reef. Each relative priority plant target for sediment and nutrients is expressed as: (a) the percentage Dryland cropping load reduction required compared with the 2013 estimated load Very high Most anthropogenic dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) loads come Urban of each pollutant from the catchment; and (b) the load reductions from sugarcane, grazing and sewage treatment plants. High required in tonnes. Progress made since 2013 will count towards these Irrigated cropping targets. Previously reported progress between 2009 and 2013 has Moderate Horticulture already been accounted for when setting the targets. The pesticide Forestry target aims to ensure that concentrations of pesticides at the end of Low Other 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 Sugarcane and grazing areas. Dryland cropping Other Irrigated cropping

Types of sediment erosion

0% 100

Streambank ully Hillslope

Most sediment erosion comes from streambanks and gullies in the Burnett catchment.

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