Healthy Waters Management Plan Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie River Basins Prepared to meet accreditation requirements under the Water Act 2007- Basin Plan 2012 Healthy Waters Management Plan: Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie River Basins Acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of the Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie region The Department of Environment and Science (the department) would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the past and present Traditional Owners of the region and their Nations, and thank the representatives of the Aboriginal communities, including the Elders, who provided their knowledge of natural resource management throughout the consultation process. The department acknowledges that the Traditional Owners of the Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie basins have a deep cultural connection to their lands and waters. The department understands the need for recognition of Traditional Owner knowledge and cultural values in water quality planning. Prepared by: Department of Environment and Science. © State of Queensland, 2019. The Queensland Government supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of its information. The copyright in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY) licence. Under this licence you are free, without having to seek our permission, to use this publication in accordance with the licence terms. You must keep intact the copyright notice and attribute the State of Queensland as the source of the publication. For more information on this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en Disclaimer This document has been prepared with all due diligence and care, based on the best available information at the time of publication. The department holds no responsibility for any errors or omissions within this document. Any decisions made by other parties based on this document are solely the responsibility of those parties. Information contained in this document is from a number of sources and, as such, does not necessarily represent government or departmental policy. If you need to access this document in a language other than English, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask them to telephone Library Services on +61 7 3170 5470. This publication can be made available in an alternative format (e.g. large print or audiotape) on request for people with vision impairment; phone +61 7 3170 5470 or email <[email protected]>. Citation DES 2019. Healthy Waters Management Plan: Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie River Basins. Brisbane: Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government. Acknowledgements The department would like to thank all stakeholders for their input throughout the development of this document, including members of the local community, industry, environmental groups, Traditional Owner groups, government representatives and natural resource management organisations. The development of this report was supported by the Intergovernmental Agreement on Implementing Water Reform in the Murray-Darling Basin and an amended National Partnership Agreement. Front cover photo: Nundubbermere Falls, west of Stanthorpe. February, 2019 i Healthy Waters Management Plan: Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie River Basins Foreword This document has been prepared in accordance with the Healthy Waters Management Plan requirements under the Queensland Environmental Protection Act 1994 and Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009. This document also contributes to meeting particular requirements of a Water Quality Management Plan under the Commonwealth Water Act 2007—Basin Plan 2012 (Basin Plan). The requirement for a Water Quality Management Plan is listed under Chapter 10, Part 7 of the Basin Plan. Text boxes such as this include explanations as to how this Healthy Waters Management Plan for the Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie River basins (Refer to Figure 1) contributes to meeting the requirements of a Water Quality Management Plan under the Basin Plan. What is a Healthy Waters Management Plan? The Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009 (EPP Water), subordinate legislation under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld.), establishes Healthy Waters Management Plans (HWMPs) as a key planning mechanism to improve the quality of Queensland waters. HWMPs advance achievement of the purpose of the EPP Water to protect Queensland’s water environment whilst allowing for development that is ecologically sustainable. HWMPs include: identification and mapping of environmental values, desired levels of aquatic ecosystem protection and management goals for Queensland waters; water quality objectives (under the National Water Quality Management Strategy (NWQMS)1) to protect the environmental values; and management responses, which address point and diffuse emission sources, and may include market-based instruments, best management practice and adaptive management. HWMPs provide an ecosystem-based approach to integrated water management, supported by best available science. The preparation of HWMPs includes: engaging with the local government, natural resource management groups, industry groups, local Aboriginal Nations and the community; addressing identified priority threats to water quality; and incorporating local catchment-based approaches to develop management responses. What is a Water Quality Management Plan? The Commonwealth Water Act 2007—Basin Plan 2012 (Basin Plan) requires a water resource plan to include a Water Quality Management Plan (WQM Plan), prepared in accordance with Chapter 10, Part 7 of the Basin Plan. WQM Plans advance the achievement of the Basin Plan objectives and outcomes through: identifying the key causes, or likely causes, of water quality degradation; including measures to address risks arising from water quality degradation; identifying water quality target values; specifying measures to be undertaken in, or in relation to, the water resources of the water resource plan area; identifying locations of water quality targets for irrigation water; and assessing and having regard to the impact of the WQM Plan on the water resources of another Basin State. Queensland's approach to the WQM Plan is an index which refers to relevant State and Commonwealth instruments to fulfil the requirements of the Basin Plan Chapter 10, Part 7. The HWMP prepared under the EPP Water fulfils most requirements of a WQM Plan. As a result, the HWMP is the primary document referred to under the WQM Plan (Refer to Figure 2). The sections of this report that fulfil requirements of a WQM Plan under the Basin Plan include parts of Section 7 to Section 10. 1 The NWQMS is a joint strategy developed by two Ministerial Councils – the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) and the Agriculture and Resources Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ). ii Healthy Waters Management Plan: Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie River Basins Figure 1: The Queensland Healthy Waters Management Plan areas that intersect the Murray-Darling Basin. This HWMP applies to the Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie River basins only. iii Healthy Waters Management Plan: Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie River Basins Healthy Waters Water Quality Other relevant Management Plan Management Plan legislation, plans and (EPP Water) (Basin Plan 2012) strategies Figure 2: Queensland’s approach to meeting Water Quality Management Plan requirements under Basin Plan. The WQM Plan, prepared under Chapter 10, Part 7 of the Basin Plan, is an index that refers to relevant legislation, plans and strategies that address water quality. HWMPs, prepared under the EPP Water, are the primary documents referred to under the WQM Plan. Other relevant instruments that are referenced by the WQM Plan include Queensland Water Plans prepared under the Water Act 2000 and the Basin Salinity Management Strategy (Schedule B to the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement). iv Healthy Waters Management Plan: Queensland Border Rivers and Moonie River Basins Contents Foreword ....................................................................................................................................................................... ii What is a Healthy Waters Management Plan?...................................................................................................... ii What is a Water Quality Management Plan? ........................................................................................................ ii Executive summary ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 4 1.1 Water to which this plan applies ..................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Healthy Waters Management Plans under the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009 .................... 4 1.3 Water Quality Management Plan under the Basin Plan ................................................................................. 4 1.4 Border Rivers and Moonie Region ................................................................................................................. 7 1.4.1 Climate ...................................................................................................................................................