Information needs for freshwater flows into estuaries 1 Information needs for freshwater flows into estuaries Assessment of Information Needs for Freshwater Flows into Australian Estuaries Final Report April 2006 Scheltinga, D.M., Fearon, R., Bell, A. and Heydon, L. FARI Australia Pty Ltd and the Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management. This document was commissioned by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) and Land and Water Australia (LWA). For copies please contact: Crispian Ashby Richard Davis Programs Manager Coordinator, Environmental Water Fisheries Research and Development Allocation Program Corporation Land and Water Australia PO Box 222 Canberra DEAKIN WEST ACT 2600 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] www.frdc.com.au OR Coastal CRC 80 Meiers Rd Indooroopilly Qld 4068 Ph: 07 3362 9399 www.coastal.crc.org.au While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of this publication, FARI Australia Pty Ltd and the Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) and costs which might incur as a result of the materials in this publication being inaccurate or incomplete in any way and for any reason. 2 Information needs for freshwater flows into estuaries Table of contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 5 2 The Value of Australia’s Estuaries ............................................................................. 8 3 Framework for Assessment of Information Needs for Freshwater Flows into Australian Estuaries ................................................................................................. 12 3.1 Geographical variation.................................................................................... 15 3.2 Complexity of estuarine research ................................................................... 21 4 Freshwater Inflow..................................................................................................... 23 5 Abiotic Environment ................................................................................................. 26 5.1 Water quality................................................................................................... 26 5.1.1 Salinity ................................................................................................... 26 5.1.2 Turbidity/sediments ............................................................................... 27 5.1.3 Temperature .......................................................................................... 27 5.1.4 Nutrients ................................................................................................ 28 5.1.5 Dissolved oxygen .................................................................................. 29 5.1.6 pH .......................................................................................................... 29 5.2 Hydrodynamics ............................................................................................... 29 5.3 Geomorphology and abiotic habitat ................................................................ 30 5.4 Connectivity .................................................................................................... 31 6 Biotic Environment ................................................................................................... 32 6.1 Plankton and benthic microorganisms............................................................ 33 6.2 Multicellular plants .......................................................................................... 35 6.3 Crustaceans.................................................................................................... 36 6.4 Molluscs.......................................................................................................... 37 6.5 Other macroinvertebrates ............................................................................... 38 6.6 Fish ................................................................................................................. 38 6.7 Birds................................................................................................................ 40 6.8 Geographic considerations ............................................................................. 50 7 Current Methodologies for Determining Freshwater Flows to Estuaries From Around Australia....................................................................................................... 51 7.1 Examples of estuarine flow management by the states and territories........... 51 8 Knowledge-needs and Their Prioritisation ............................................................... 56 8.1 Knowledge-need prioritisation......................................................................... 56 8.1.1 Scientific merit criteria ........................................................................... 58 8.1.2 Benefits to management........................................................................ 58 8.2 Results of the prioritisation of ‘high’ priority knowledge needs ....................... 59 8.3 Frameworks for organising knowledge needs ................................................ 63 8.4 Conclusions .................................................................................................... 68 9 References............................................................................................................... 69 10 Further Reading ....................................................................................................... 78 Appendix 1: Experts consulted........................................................................................ 93 Appendix 2: Determination of draft values which may be present in Australian estuaries. ............................................................................................................. 94 Appendix 3: Components of flow regime. ....................................................................... 98 3 Information needs for freshwater flows into estuaries Appendix 4: List of predicted effects on estuarine processes from alteration of freshwater inflows .................................................................................................... 99 Appendix 5: Impact of abiotic change on biota. ............................................................ 100 Appendix 6: Legislation and policies relevant to the regulation of freshwater flows with possible relevance to estuaries. ..................................................................... 104 Appendix 7: Knowledge-needs for freshwater flows to estuaries – Workshop report. ........................................................................................................... 111 Appendix 8: Starting (pre-workshop) list of knowledge-needs and report themes........ 124 Appendix 9: Management themes identified during the workshop with their underlying management issues. ............................................................................ 128 4 Information needs for freshwater flows into estuaries 1 Introduction Water is a critical resource management issue in Australia and is recognised as being “part of Australia’s natural capital, serving a number of important productive, environmental and social objectives” (IGA-NWI, 2004, p. 1). The demand for water for residential supplies, agriculture, industry, and other human needs has increased with population in the past and solving conflicts surrounding allocations for these uses and for ‘environmental flows’ are a key element of national water reform. One of the many competing ‘uses’ for freshwater flows are environmental flows into estuaries, the highly valuable receiving-waters of all seaward draining waterways. The need for reform of water resource policy has long been recognised and formally entered into the agenda of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in June 1993. The result was a report commissioned from a ‘Working Group on Water Resource Policy’ ultimately leading to the Council endorsing in February 1994 a framework for the reform of the Australian water industry. A key component of the framework was the consideration of allocations for the environment and in particular that “environmental requirements, wherever possible, will be determined on the best scientific information available and have regard to the inter-temporal and inter-spatial water needs required to maintain the health and viability of river systems and ground water basins” (COAG Communiqué, 1994, section 4d). Although the framework referred generally to ‘river systems’, estuaries are not mentioned specifically and the major focus as been on freshwater reaches of Australian rivers (i.e. those of prime interest to the water resources industry). The water reform agenda continued with some amendments (i.e. the inclusion of ground water and stormwater management in 1996 and the Tripartite agreement in 1999). ARMCANZ and ANZECC formed the National Principles for the Provision of Water Ecosystems which states that “the goal for providing water for the environment is to sustain and where necessary restore ecological processes and biodiversity of water dependent ecosystems” (ARMCANZ, 1996, p. iii). The framework includes the principles that: • all water uses should be managed in a manner which recognises