Burnett-Baffle Water Quality Improvement Plan Burnett-Baffle Water Quality Improvement Plan Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Executive Summary . ii Information, assistance, advice, direction and support were provided by Members of the Burnett-Baffle WQIP stakeholder group and the 1 Background . 1 WQIP science panel, the program managers of other Reef Catchment WQIPs, Rachel Eberhard (Eberhard Consulting), Nina Saxton 1 .1 Introduction . 1 (Northern Environmental Solutions), Will Higham and Carl Mitchell (Reef Catchments), members of the Reef Water Quality Partnership 1 .2 Reef Water Quality Protection Plan . 1 Regional Implementation Group, Burnett Mary Reef Parnership and others who attended meetings or workshops. 1 .3 Burnett-Baffle Water Quality Improvement Plan . 2 The WQIP science panel members were Mike Bell (DPI&F), John Bennett (EPA), Jon Brodie (ACTFR), Leigh Gray (GBRMPA), Paul 1 .4 Burnett Mary Regional Natural Resource Management Plan . 2 Harris (NRW), Will Higham (Reef Catchments), Heather Hunter (NRW), Trevor Willcox (BSES), Peter Wilson (NRW) and Maria Zann 1 .5 Other Relevant Plans and Policies . 2 (EPA). Funding was provided under the Coastal Catchments Initiative, from the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage, and the Arts. 2 Catchments . 3 GIS layers were provided by Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Department of Natural Resources and Water, Environmental 2 .1 Regional Overview . 3 Protection Agency. 2 .2 Biophysical Characteristics . 3 Water quality and other data were provided by NRW, EPA, Sunwater, GBRMPA, DPI&F, satellite images were provided by CSIRO. 2 .3 Catchments . 6 Symbols (used in conceptual models) courtesy of the Integration and Application Network at the University of Maryland Center for 2 .4 Socio-economic Characteristics . 10 Environmental Science (ian.umces.edu/symbols/). Photos used in the plan were supplied by Qld EPA, Joel Bolzenius, Bec Nicoll, Sandra Grinter and Jenna Hill. 3 Water Quality and Management Issues . 11 3 .1 Land Use and Associated Conceptual Models . 11 DISCLAIMER 3 .2 Current Water Quality . 14 While all care has been taken in the preparation of this plan, readers should be aware that some information might be superseded with 3 .3 Environmental Flows . 15 further scientific studies and evolving technology and industry practices. The views and conclusions expressed in this document may 3 .4 Future Growth and Climate Change . 16 not represent the Queensland or Australian Government views or policy. 3 .5 Prioritised Pollutants . 16 In no circumstances will the BMRG, its agents or employees be liable for any special, consequential or indirect loss or damage arising 4 Environmental Values and Water Quality Objectives . 18 from any use of or reliance on any material appearing in this document. Users accept sole responsibility and the risk associated with 4 .1 Background to Environmental Values and Water Quality Objectives . 18 any use of the material appearing in this report, irrespective of the purpose to which such use or results are applied. 4 .2 Draft Environmental Values and High Ecological Value Areas . 19 Information contained in this publication may be copied or reproduced for study, research, information or educational purposes, subject 4 .3 Water Quality Objectives . 22 to inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source. 5 Water Quality Targets . 24 5 .1 Current Pollutant Loads and Sources . 24 5 .2 Prioritisation and Critical Areas for Intervention . 26 ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE DOCUMENT 5 .3 Sustainable Load Targets . 26 AquaBAMM – Aquatic Biodiversity Assessment and NRM –natural resource management 5 .4 Estimated Water Quality Benefits . 28 Mapping Method NRW - Department of Natural Resources and Water BMRG – Burnett Mary Regional Group (now part of Department of Environment and Resource 6 Implementing the Plan . 29 CSIRO – Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Management) 6 .1 Implementing the Plan . 29 NWQMS – National Water Quality Management Strategy Organisation 6 .2 Targets and Priority Actions . 31 DIN – dissolved inorganic nitrogen P - phosphorus DPI&F – Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries RCT – resource condition target 7 Monitoring and Evaluting the Plan . 37 SMD – slightly to moderately disturbed ecosystem EPA – Environmental Protection Agency (now part of 7 .1 Reasonable Assurance . 37 Department of Environment and Resource Management) t/yr – tonnes of pollutant per year 7 .2 Adaptive Management Strategy . 37 EPP (Water) – Environmental Protection (Water) Policy TN – total nitrogen 1997 TP – total phosphorus 7 .3 Monitoring and Modelling Strategy . 37 EV – environmental value TSS – total suspended soilds 7 .4 Public Reporting . 37 GBR – Great Barrier Reef WQ – water quality 7 .5 Plan Review . 38 GBRMPA – Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority WQIP – water quality improvement plan HEV – high ecological value ecosystem WQO – water quality objective 8 References . 39 WRP – water resource plan HD – highly disturbed ecosystem Abbreviations . 40 LGA – local government area WWTP – waste water treatment plant MAT – management action target Appendix 1 . Environmental Values . 41 N – nitrogen Appendix 2 . Frameworks for Management Practices . 45 i Burnett Mary Regional Group Burnett-Baffle Water Quality Improvement Plan Executive summary The Burnett-Baffle Water Quality Improvement plan have been established for the freshwaters, estuaries Implementation of the Burnett-Baffle achieve these interim targets. A regional partnership (WQIP) has an overall aim to manage the reduction of and marine waters within the WQIP area that are WQIP delivery approach is advocated for implementation of pollutant loads entering waterways within the Burnett- applicable to human values and uses and ecological the Burnett-Baffle WQIP and additional work is proposed Baffle area and to guide the achievement of water values. In order to protect these EVs, a set of water The Burnett-Baffle WQIP builds on the targets and to address some of the barriers to change for the quality objectives required to protect the environmental quality guidelines have been developed (using local data actions detailed in the Burnett Mary Region NRM plan successful adoption of improved land use practices. values for these resources . where available, and existing State and National level and follows on from a range of activities successfully completed in partnership with stakeholders to Monitoring and Evaluation of the guidelines for freshwater, estuarine and marine waters, Burnett-Baffle WQIP The Burnett-Baffle Area where local monitoring was not sufficient) to establish address these targets. It focuses predominantly on voluntary actions that are able to make water quality Water Quality Objectives (WQOs) for all waterways. A reasonable assurance statement provides a degree The study area for the Burnett-Baffle WQIP contains a improvements, while influencing institutions that manage of confidence that, if the WQIP is implemented, the diverse range of riverine, estuarine, coastal and marine potentially complementary processes, (e.g. regulation, Sustainable Loads and Pollutant Load targets will be achieved and protection of the receiving habitats, including the freshwater systems of the Baffle, zoning) and associated water quality improvement Targets waters from the pollutants of concern will be provided. Kolan, Elliott and Burnett catchments and associated actions (e.g. land use planning for future growth). The adaptive management strategy outlines the logic estuaries and receiving waters adjacent to the southern Sustainable loads are long-term targets that have been Structured frameworks were proposed to assist in in which the targets relate to each other and protect GBR and the northern Great Sandy Marine Park. Land set for priority pollutants in the WQIP area and describe the reduction of pollutant loads from various land use the receiving waters from the pollutants of concern, use in the area includes grazing, dryland and irrigated the maximum pollutant loads for that system to acheive practices. The “ABCD” frameworks were developed for actions which must accompany the targets to provide cropping, eco-tourism, a small amount of mining/mineral the WQOs. The current loads of nutrients and sediment horticulture and grazing industries and the platinum/ key learnings and track implementation of the plan exploration and urban/rural residential use. from the catchments within the Burnett-Baffle WQIP gold/silver/bronze framework was developed by the and also outlines potential responses to a range of have been determined by a combination of modelling sugarcane industry for the Burnett Baffle WQIP area by Processes describing the movement of point and scenarios that may occur. The monitoring and modelling outputs from two previous studies. These studies have catchment groups and industry bodies. diffuse source pollutants through the landscape and strategy developed for the Burnett-Baffle WQIP outlines shown current loads will need a 38% reduction to meet into the waterways of the Burnett-Baffle study area monitoring and modelling needed to accompany the the sustainable loads target for sediment. A series of management action targets (MATs) have are represented in the WQIP by a series of conceptual been developed for the priority pollutants that will allow implementation by monitoring and evaluation of the models. Principally, erosion processes from rainfall Current loads for nutrients have been estimated using an incremental approach to achieving the long-term process. Reporting will