ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY River Murray and Lower Lakes catchment risk assessment for water quality Results and management options APRIL 2007 River Murray and Lower Lakes catchment risk assessment for water quality Results and management options The River Murray and Lower Lakes catchment risk assessment project for water quality Results and management options Authors: Luke Mosley, Bethany Hammond, Veronica Phillips and John Riggs (EPA) and Karla Billington and Belinda Hemer (SA Water) For further information please contact: Environment Protection Authority Watershed Protection Office Suite 2, 85 Mount Barker Road Stirling SA 5152 Telephone: (08) 8139 9000 Facsimile: (08) 8139 9901 Email: <[email protected]> Website: <www.epa.sa.gov.au> ISBN: 978–1–9211–25–37–9 April 2007 © Environment Protection Authority This document may be reproduced in whole or part for the purpose of study or training, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source and to its not being used for commercial purposes or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than those given above requires the prior written permission of the Environment Protection Authority. Printed on recycled paper Contents Acknowledgements 7 Definitions 9 Abbreviations 10 Executive Summary 13 1 Introduction 15 1.1 Study purpose 15 1.2 Content of this report 16 1.3 Brief description of method 16 2 Renmark to border LAP area assessment 20 2.1 Description of the area 21 2.2 Environmental value zones 22 2.3 Hazard identification process 22 2.4 Risk to water quality in the Renmark to border area 22 2.5 Options for management of risk, RB LAP area 43 3 Berri–Barmera and Loxton–Bookpurnong LAP areas assessment 50 3.1 Description of the area 50 3.2 Environmental value zones 52 3.3 Hazard identification process 52 3.4 Risk to water quality in the Berri–Barmera and Loxton–Bookpurnong areas 53 3.5 Options for management of risk, BB and LB LAP areas 78 4 Riverland West LAP area assessment 84 4.1 Description of the area 84 4.2 Environmental value zones 86 4.3 Hazard identification process 86 4.4 Risk to water quality in the Riverland West area 86 4.5 Options for management of risk, RW LAP area 112 5 Mid Murray LAP area assessment 118 5.1 Description of the area 118 5.2 Environmental value zones 120 5.3 Hazard identification process 120 5.4 Risk to water quality in the Mid Murray area 120 5.5 Options for management of risk, MM LAP area 146 6 Mannum to Wellington LAP area assessment 152 6.1 Description of the area 152 6.2 Environmental value zones 154 6.3 Hazard identification process 154 6.4 Risk to water quality in the Mannum to Wellington area 155 6.5 Options for management of risk, MW LAP area 184 7 Goolwa to Wellington and Coorong District LAP areas assessment 191 7.1 Description of the area 191 7.2 Environmental value zones 194 7.3 Hazard identification process 195 7.4 Risk to water quality in the Goolwa to Wellington and Coorong District LAP areas 195 7.5 Options for management of risk, GW and CD LAP areas 217 8 Summary of risk assessment results 223 8.1 Summary of results by environmental value 223 8.2 Summary of results by hazard type 227 9 Risk management options 229 9.1 Specific management options by hazard type 229 References and data sources 254 List of tables Table 1.1 Stressors and their potential effect on environmental values 18 Table 2.1 Frequency of risks to aquatic ecosystem health, RB LAP area 25 Table 2.2 Summary of risks to aquatic ecosystem environmental values, RB LAP area 28 Table 2.3 Frequency of risks to raw water supplies, RB LAP area 34 Table 2.4 Summary of risks to raw water supply environmental values, RB LAP area 36 Table 2.5 Frequency of risks to recreational values, RB LAP area 38 Table 2.6 Summary of risks to recreational values, RB LAP area 40 Table 2.7 Current and potential future options for management of risks, RB LAP area 44 Table 3.1 Frequency of risks to aquatic ecosystem health, BB & LB LAP areas 55 Table 3.2 Summary of risks to aquatic ecosystem environmental values, BB & LB LAP areas 60 Table 3.3 Frequency of risks to raw water supplies, BB & LB LAP areas 67 Table 3.4 Summary of risks to raw water supply environmental values, BB & LB LAP areas 69 Table 3.5 Frequency of risks to recreational values, BB & LB LAP areas 72 Table 3.6 Summary of risks to recreational environmental values, BB & LB LAP areas 74 Table 3.7 Current and potential future options for management of risks, BB & LB LAP areas 79 Table 4.1 Frequency of risks to aquatic ecosystem health, RW LAP area 89 Table 4.2 Summary of risks to aquatic ecosystem environmental values, RW LAP area 94 Table 4.3 Frequency of risks to raw water supplies, RW LAP area 100 Table 4.4 Summary of risks to raw water supply environmental values, RW LAP area 103 Table 4.5 Frequency of risks to recreational use, RW LAP area 105 Table 4.6 Summary of risks to recreational environmental values, RW LAP area 108 Table 4.7 Current and potential future options for management of risks, RW LAP area 113 Table 5.1 Frequency of risks to aquatic ecosystem health, MM LAP area 123 Table 5.2 Summary of risks to aquatic ecosystem environmental value, MM LAP area 127 Table 5.3 Frequency of risks to raw water supplies, MM LAP area 135 Table 5.4 Summary of risks to raw water supply environmental values, MM LAP area 137 Table 5.5 Frequency of risks to recreational use, MM LAP area 139 Table 5.6 Summary of significant risks to recreational environmental values, MM LAP area 141 Table 5.7 Current and potential future options for management of risks, MM LAP area 147 Table 6.1 Frequency of risks to aquatic ecosystem health, MW LAP area 156 Table 6.2 Summary of risks to aquatic ecosystem health environmental values, MW LAP area 161 Table 6.3 Frequency of risks to raw water supplies, MW LAP area 170 Table 6.4 Summary of risks to raw water supply environmental values, MW LAP area 173 Table 6.5 Frequency of risk to recreational use, MW LAP area 177 Table 6.6 Summary of risks to recreational environmental values, MW LAP area 179 Table 6.7 Current and potential future options for management of risks, MW LAP area 185 Table 7.1 Frequency of risks to aquatic ecosystem health, GW & CD LAP areas 196 Table 7.2 Summary of risks to aquatic ecosystem environmental value, GW & CD LAP areas 203 Table 7.3 Frequency of risks to recreational use, GW & CD LAP areas 210 Table 7.4 Summary of risks to recreational environmental values, GW & CD LAP areas 213 Table 7.5 Current and potential future options for management of risks, GW & CD LAP areas 218 Table 8.1 The number and ‘average’ level of risk of different types of hazards in the LAP areas 228 List of figures Figure 1.1 Map showing LAP areas along the River Murray, Lower Lakes and Coorong 17 Figure 1.2 Guidelines for interpreting maps (on attached DVD) 19 Figure 2.1 Map of Renmark to border LAP area 20 Figure 2.2 Frequency of hazards to water quality, RB LAP area 23 Figure 2.3 Example of hazard in the RB LAP area: irrigation horticultural area 23 Figure 2.4 Key map for aquatic ecosystem zones, RB LAP area 24 Figure 2.5 Key map for raw water supply zones, RB LAP area 33 Figure 2.6 Key map of recreational zones, RB LAP area 37 Figure 3.1 Berri–Barmera and Loxton–Bookpurnong LAP areas 51 Figure 3.2 Frequency of hazards to water quality, BB & LB LAP areas 53 Figure 3.3 Key map for aquatic ecosystem zones, BB & LB LAP areas 54 Figure 3.4 Example of hazard in the BB & LB LAP areas: river vessel waste disposal station 55 Figure 3.5 Key map for raw water supply zones, BB & LB LAP areas 66 Figure 3.6 Key map of recreational zones, BB & LB LAP areas 71 Figure 4.1 Map of the Riverland West LAP area 85 Figure 4.2 Frequency of hazards to water quality, RW LAP area 87 Figure 4.3 Key map for aquatic ecosystem zones, RW LAP area 88 Figure 4.4 Example of hazard in the RW LAP area: wastewater lagoons on the floodplain 89 Figure 4.5 Key map for raw water supply zones, RW LAP area 101 Figure 4.6 Key map of recreational zones, RW LAP area 106 Figure 5.1 Map of the Mid Murray LAP area 119 Figure 5.2 Frequency of hazards to water quality, Mid Murray LAP area 121 Figure 5.3 Example of hazard in the MM LAP area: diesel pump and fuel store near the river 121 Figure 5.4 Key map for aquatic ecosystem zones, MM LAP area 122 Figure 5.5 Key map for raw water supply zones, MM LAP area 134 Figure 5.6 Key map of recreational zones, MM LAP area 138 Figure 6.1 Map of Mannum to Wellington LAP area 153 Figure 6.2 Frequency of hazards to water quality, MW LAP area 155 Figure 6.3 Example of hazard in MW LAP area: dairy cows on flood irrigated pasture 156 Figure 6.4 Key map for aquatic ecosystem zones, MW LAP area 157 Figure 6.5 Key map for raw water supply zones, MW LAP area 169 Figure 6.6 Key map of recreational zones, MW LAP area 176 Figure 7.1 Goolwa to Wellington and Coorong District LAP areas 193 Figure 7.2 Example of hazard to water quality in GW & CD LAP areas: Finniss River 195 Figure 7.3 Frequency of hazards to water quality, GW & CD LAP areas 196 Figure 7.4 Key map for aquatic ecosystem zones, GW & CD LAP areas 197 Figure 7.5 Key map of recreational zones, GW & CD LAP areas 211 Figure 8.1 The level of risk (low, moderate, high, very high) versus proportion of total risk for stressors of the aquatic ecosystem environmental value 224 Figure 8.2 The level of risk (low, moderate, high, very high) versus proportion of total risk for stressors of the raw water supply environmental value 225 Figure 8.3 The level of risk (low, moderate, high, very high) versus proportion of total risk for stressors of the recreational environmental value 227 Acknowledgements The River Murray and Lower Lakes catchment risk assessment for water quality is a collaborative project between the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), SA Water and South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board (SAMDB NRMB).