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Proserpine Catchment Water Quality Targets

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Proserpine Catchment Water Quality Targets MACKAY WHITSUNDAY REGION Proserpine catchment water quality targets Catchment profile Hook Reef Under the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan, water quality targets have been set for each catchment that drains to the Great Barrier Reef. These targets (given over the page) consider land use and pollutant loads from each catchment. The Proserpine catchment covers 2494 km2 (28% of the Mackay Cape Edgecumbe Whitsunday region). Rainfall averages 1474 mm a year, which results in Gloucester Island river discharges to the coast of about 2150 GL each year. Merinda ! ! Bowen Stone Island The Proserpine catchment is the northernmost catchment in the Stone Hayman Island Reef Mackay Whitsunday region and comprises nine sub-catchments. Cape Gloucester The main waterway is the Proserpine River located in the centre of Hook the catchment area. The upper tributaries of the Proserpine River are E d g e c u m b e B a y Island dominated by grazing and come together at Lake Proserpine (Peter Grassy Island Faust Dam). The lower reaches flow through the township of Proserpine Border Island and through sugarcane and conservation areas before reaching the coast at Repulse Bay. The northern sub-catchments discharge Woodwark CUMBERLAND ISLANDS Bay North to Edgecumbe Bay and include Eden Lassie Creek and Gregory Double Molle Bay River. The Whitsunday Coast and Repulse Creek sub-catchments lie Island South Haslewood Molle on the coastal fringe, and Myrtle, Lethebrook and Thompson creeks Pioneer Cid Island Island Island Whitehaven r Bay e i Whitsunday capture the southernmost section of the catchment area. Grazing, v Bay R ! Island T ! Airlie n !( conservation and sugarcane are the main land uses, with some o D Cannonvale horticultural and urban areas. W H I T S U N D A Y G R O U P P r o s e r p i n e C a t c h m e n t Hamilton Long Island Island iver Ý R Z[ e in p Pentecost Land uses in the Proserpine catchment r e Dent Island Island s T o !( r !(B! P The main land uses are grazing (45%), nature conservation (25%), and Proserpine Lindeman Island sugarcane (10%). Cape Lachlan Shaw Island Mansell 0% 20 40 60 80 100 Island !(T D on R iv er C at c hm ent R e p u l s e B a y Cape Conway Don River Thomas Island Legend !(T Sewage treatment plant (STP) Grazing razing Nature Sugarcane L I N D E M A N G R O U P (B Sugark mill Irrigated cropping r conservation ee e Blacksmith Water CÝ r iv Z[u Dams and weirs Dryland cropping l R Island m el E n Forestry n SIR JAMES SMITH GROUP Mangrove Sugarcane o c Goldsmith Urban Seagrass Horticulture O Island Linne Island Other Catchment B o w e n BananaOC on n el l C a t c h m en t Highways B o g i e Dairy Horticulture S u b - c a t c h m e n t Secondary roads Urban and other intensive uses Bloomsbury Irrigated cropping ! Landuse Mining B u r d e k i n C a t c h m e n t Nature conservation Stream/water inc. dams 0 5 10 15 20 25 Forestry Other Pigeon Kilometres Reef S:\OGBR\d170612 GBR catchments map\GBR catchments map_A4P_v03.mxd Page 21 of 35 31 July 2017 2025 water quality targets and priorities Modelled water quality pollutant loads The Proserpine catchment has minimal anthropogenic fine sediment loads. The aim is to reduce loads of End-of-catchment anthropogenic load reductions Pesticides dissolved inorganic nitrogen, most of which come from sugarcane. required from 2013 baseline Dissolved inorganic Fine sediment Particulate Particulate nitrogen (DIN) phosphorus (PP) nitrogen (PN) To protect at least Dissolved inorganic nitrogen 70% maintain maintain maintain 99% 110 tonnes current load current load current load of aquatic species at the end of catchment The 2025 targets aim to reduce the amounts of fine sediments, nutrients Water quality Sugarcane rban (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 Very high Most anthropogenic dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) loads come current water quality so there are no increases in loads. Each target Irrigated cropping for sediment and nutrients is expressed as: (a) the percentage load from sugarcane, urban and forestry areas. High Grazing reduction required compared with the 2013 estimated load of each Horticulture 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 aims to ensure that concentrations of pesticides at the end of each 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 risk assessment priorities for water quality improvement, based on an independent report, the 2017 Scientific Consensus Statement. The priorities reflect scientific assessment of the likely risks of pollutants damaging coastal and marine ecosystems. reefplan.qld.gov.au.
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