WET TROPICS REGION Barron catchment water quality targets

Michaelmas Catchment profile Michaelmas Reef M o s s m a n Cay Under the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan, water quality C a t c h m e n t Oyster Reef targets have been set for each catchment that drains to the Great Vlasoff Cay Barrier Reef. These targets (given over the page) consider land use and T r i n i t y B a y Upolu Cay pollutant loads from each catchment. M it ch e Arlington l l R Reef

2 i The Barron catchment covers 2188 km (10% of the Wet Tropics region). v er Rainfall averages 1442 mm a year, which results in river discharges to the coast of about 879 GL each year. ! Clifton Beach Green Island B a r r o n C a t c h m e n t Trinity Beach Reef The Barron catchment is located in the central section of the Wet ! Tropics region and lies largely inland, with only a small coastal fringe. Trinity Bay ! Yorkeys Knob Kuranda T The catchment is divided into two main sections, the upper reaches in !!( !(T Clo h

e Holloways

the Atherton Tablelands, above the Barron Falls, and the lower reaches . s

R y n E o Beach a r R ! in the narrow coastal plain. The Tablelands has a large catchment s r i False Cape Cape Grafton

t a v T B e !( H r o area comprising numerous sub-catchments that flow into the Barron d Mission g Moore k in Bay Reef River and is a major agricultural region. Other major waterways in the s ! on Fitzroy R. k e Island Barron catchment include Lake Tinaroo, Lake Morris and Freshwater e r

C r Creek, which feeds into the Barron River below the Barron Falls. The e t Admiralty a w Island h Sudbury Cay

lower reaches of the Barron River cross to the coast north of Cairns, res F

Ý Sudbury and consists principally of urban and agricultural (grazing and Ý Z[ Reef !

Z[ (No 1) sugarcane) land use. ! Ý White

Mareeba Z[ Z[Ý Rock

! Z[Ý Edmonton E me Scott rald Cre Reef ek

B !

Land uses in the Barron catchment a Gordonvale r ro n R W . The main land uses are grazing (31%), nature conservation (29%), and alsh River

forestry (18%). k

e

Ý e

Z[ r

C a

0% 20 40 60 80 100 M n a u h lg r e av e B

R ! Legend ! iv Tolga ! Kairi e r r ive

T R !( l Irrigated cropping Sewage treatment plant (STP)l Ý e s Z[ s

Dams and weirs u Dryland cropping R Atherton Sugarcane ! M u l g r a v e - R Mangroveu s s e l l ! Seagrass Horticulture razing Nature Forestry C a t c h m e n t conservation Irrigated Catchment Banana cropping Highways Dairy rth Jo Secondary roads Urban and other intensive uses o hns Urban N t o ! n Mining ! e Landuse Dairy R iv Stream/water inc. dams e Nature conservation Malanda r Water Other ! Herberton Forestry Sugarcane Wo Mirriwinni ! nde Grazing claC

re

e Horticulture k J o h n s t o n e C a t c h m e n t r 0 5 10 15 20 25 e Rus Other v s i ek e r R e ll e ld r R iv Wi C Kilometres Bananas irran H e r b e r t C a t c h m e n t D S:\OGBR\d170612 GBR catchments map\GBR catchments map_A4P_v03.mxd Page 10 of 35 31 July 2017 2025 water quality targets and priorities Modelled water quality pollutant loads The Barron catchment has minimal anthropogenic fine sediment loads flowing to the coast. Independent End-of-catchment anthropogenic load reductions Pesticides sediment-tracing studies have indicated the long-term sediment yields are similar to pre-development rates. required from 2013 baseline The aim is to reduce dissolved inorganic nitrogen loads, most of which come from sugarcane.

Dissolved inorganic Fine sediment Particulate Particulate nitrogen (DIN) phosphorus (PP) nitrogen (PN)

To protect at least Dissolved inorganic nitrogen 60% maintain maintain maintain 99% 52 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 Sewage treatment (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pesticides flowing to the reef. Where relative priority plant Other there are minimal anthropogenic pollutant loads, the aim is to maintain Irrigated cropping Very high Most anthropogenic dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) loads come current water quality so there are no increases in loads. Each target Forestry for sediment and nutrients is expressed as: (a) the percentage load from sugarcane and urban areas, and sewage treatment plants. High Bananas reduction required compared with the 2013 estimated load of each Grazing pollutant from the catchment; and (b) the load reductions required Moderate in tonnes. Progress made since 2013 will count towards these targets. Horticulture 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