DEPARTMENT of PRIMARY INDUSTRIES, WATER and ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT GOALS for TASMANIAN SURFACE WATERS KING ISLAND September 2003 Proposed Environmental Management Goals 1 For Tasmanian Surface Waters: King Island Catchments Between late 2001 and 2003 Protected Words and expressions used in this Environmental Values (PEVS) were set final paper have, unless the contrary for King Island. A discussion paper intention appears, the same meaning as was prepared to facilitate public defined in the State Policy on Water participation in setting the PEVs. This Quality Management 1997 and the discussion paper was intended as a Environmental Management and basis for community and stakeholder Pollution Control Act 1994. Ecosystem participation in the process of refers to physical, chemical and developing environmental management biological aspects of the aquatic goals for the waterways that are environment. located within the King Island catchments. This final paper is divided into six main sections: The paper was prepared by the · The first part describes water Division of Environment Division in reforms in general. association with the Land and Water Management Branch, of the · The second part provides a brief Department of Primary Industries, the description of the King Island Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service catchments. Water and Environment and the King Island Council. · Part three discusses the State Policy on Water Quality Management. This paper has been modified into its current form to reflect that the process · The final Protected Environmental for the King Island catchments is now Values for the King Island complete. It is considered, however, catchments are shown in part four. that much of the information included · in the discussion paper should remain Water quantity values are discussed as a record of the PEV setting process. in part five, and · Part six lists the community water values for the catchments. 2 1 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................4 1.1 WHY DO WE NEED WATER REFORM?............................................................................4 1.2 WHAT ARE THESE REFORMS?.....................................................................................4 1.3 WHAT DO WE WANT THE PUBLIC TO DO?.......................................................................5 1.4 HOW WILL THE PUBLIC INPUT BE USED?.......................................................................5 2 KING ISLAND CATCHMENTS OVERVIEW................................................................7 2.1 CATCHMENT DESCRIPTION........................................................................................7 2.1.1 Geology and Soil Types.......................................................................................7 2.1.2 King Island Flora..............................................................................................8 2.1.3 King Island Heritage..........................................................................................8 2.1.4 Employment and Industry....................................................................................9 2.2 KING ISLAND WATERWAYS........................................................................................9 2.2.1 Water Quality....................................................................................................9 2.2.2 King Island Estuary Classification......................................................................11 2.2.3 Water Quality Issues..........................................................................................13 2.2.4 Water Quantity.................................................................................................13 2.3 KING ISLAND MANAGEMENT ISSUES ..........................................................................13 3 WATER QUALITY : THE STATE POLICY ON WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT...15 3.1 SETTING PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES..........................................................15 3.2 PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES CATEGORIES....................................................15 3.3 COMMUNITY INPUT.................................................................................................17 4 PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES FOR KING ISLAND CATCHMENTS.......18 5 WATER QUANTITY VALUES FOR THE KING ISLAND CATCHMENTS....................26 5.1 OVERVIEW.............................................................................................................26 5.2 WATER QUANTITY VALUES .......................................................................................26 6 COMMUNITY WATER VALUES.................................................................................28 3 1 INTRODUCTION has recently introduced a range of reforms designed to ensure that these values are protected for the future of the 1.1 Why do we need water reform? State. A good supply of fresh, clean water is an essential requirement for human life, 1.2 What are these reforms? a healthy environment and a productive economy. Two major aspects of the water reforms are water quality management and water We need water for drinking, for quantity management. recreational activities like fishing, swimming and boating, to provide the (a) water quality management food we eat and export, to generate The State Policy on Water Quality clean electricity, and to support mining Management 1997 is designed to and other industries. maintain or enhance the quality of We also expect our rivers and lakes to Tasmanian surface waters. Principal look healthy, and provide a healthy objectives of the Policy include: environment for a wide range of aquatic · Move on from reliance on ‘end of plants and animals. pipe’ controls to take into We sometimes take for granted that our consideration the number of use of water resources is sustainable; discharges into a given water body, that our hard-working water will still be or the sensitivity or current there in a healthy state to provide the condition of the water body. same benefits for future generations. · Ensure that diffuse source and point Our waterways are not immune from source pollution does not endanger problems, however, and many of our the achievement of water quality river systems are showing signs of objectives, and that pollutants stress. discharged to waterways are reduced Tasmanian rivers range from relatively as much as possible by the use of short, swiftly flowing rivers fed from best practice environmental mountain sources to slowly flowing management; rivers which may be reduced to a series · Facilitate and promote integrated of pools during dry periods. catchment management. River health, and the health of the · Focusing on overall water quality economies that depend upon them, is management strategies by clearly linked to the way we use the identifying those water quality waters; the degree of regulation we values and uses that are considered impose; the quantity of water we take worthy of protection. out; and the quality of water we return. The first purpose of this paper is to In response to a general recognition explain how the water quality values across the community of the importance will be identified and used. Local of having clean water and appropriate communities have a key role in river flows, the Tasmanian Government 4 identifying these values in their specific areas of your rivers or catchments. streams? § Do you use water for livestock (b) water quantity management watering? § Does your river supply the local The Government has recently finalised town water supply? new water management legislation to § Do you draw water from it to replace the Water Act 1957. The Water irrigate your farm? Management Act, 1999 provides for: § How often do you need to draw · Major changes to the institutional water from it, and when? arrangements for water management; The catchment stakeholders/publics · The ready transfer of water rights answers to these questions helped to between different users; develop the community water values for · Enhanced stakeholder and community regional wetlands and waterways. input into water allocation and People had different views on these management; and questions. What was needed to do was · A more transparent and equitable to try to think about the "big" picture, water allocation system, including and how our own objectives may formal allocation of flows to maintain impact on the whole catchment and the a healthy river environment. wider community. · The development of water management plans Planning to ensure sustainable use of The second purpose of this discussion these waters and protection of river paper is to canvas your views on what health requires sound knowledge of local you value in your water resources from water quality and quantity issues. a water quantity perspective. Therefore the public submissions providing local knowledge were 1.3 What do we want the public to important. do? 1.4 How will the public input be Local communities have a valuable used? understanding of their regional waterways. The following questions of Information from the public on values catchment stakeholders were asked. particularly relating to water quality assisted the Board of Environmental § Which of your activities rely upon Management and Pollution Control and maintaining or enhancing the flow of the councils to finalise the range of water into catchment waterways? Protected Environmental Values for the § Are there certain places on your surface waters