DEPARTMENT of PRIMARY INDUSTRIES, WATER and ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT GOALS for TASMANIAN WATERS DERWENT RIVER CATCHMENT April, 2003 CENTRAL HIGHLANDS COUNCIL Environmental Management Goals refers to physical, chemical and for Tasmanian Waters: biological aspects of the aquatic environment. During 2001/2002 Protected This paper has been modified into its Environmental Values (PEVs) were set current form to reflect that the process for the catchments in the Derwent for setting PEVs for the Derwent River River Catchment. The Derwent Estuary Catchment is now complete. It was Catchment and Derwent Estuary were considered, however, that much of the covered in separate discussion papers.. information included in the discussion A discussion paper was prepared to paper should remain as a record of the facilitate public participation in setting PEV setting process. the PEVs. This discussion paper was intended as a basis for community and This paper is divided into six main stakeholder participation in the process sections: of developing environmental management goals for the catchment • The first part discusses water area being all of the Derwent River reform in general. catchment except the Derwent Estuary, the Derwent Estuary catchment and the • The second part gives a brief area of the catchment that is within the description of the waterways in the Southern midlands municipal area Derwent River Catchment. which were the subject of separate papers. • Part three discusses the State Policy on Water Quality Management. This paper was prepared by the Environment Division in consultation • The fourth part discusses the with Central Highlands Council, Protected Environmental Values for Derwent Valley Council, Meander catchments in the Derwent River Valley Council, Brighton Council and Catchment. the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. Words and expressions used in • Water quantity values are discussed the paper have, unless the contrary in part five. intention appears, the same meaning as defined in the State Policy on Water • Part six discusses the community Quality Management 1997 and the water values for the catchments. Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994. Ecosystem 1 2 1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................4 1.1 WHY DO WE NEED WATER REFORM?.....................................................................4 1.2 WHAT ARE THESE REFORMS?................................................................................4 1.3 WHAT DID WE WANT THE PUBLIC TO DO? .............................................................5 1.4 HOW WAS THE PUBLIC INPUT BE USED? ................................................................5 2 CATCHMENT OVERVIEW ................................................................................6 2.1 CATCHMENT BOUNDARIES....................................................................................6 2.2 CATCHMENT DESCRIPTION....................................................................................6 2.3 INDUSTRIES AND WATER USES.............................................................................8 2.4 WATER QUALITY ISSUES.......................................................................................9 2.5 COMMUNITY WATER VALUES .............................................................................11 3 WATER QUALITY: PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES............12 3.1 SETTING PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES ...............................................12 3.2 PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES CATEGORIES.........................................12 3.3 COMMUNITY INPUT ............................................................................................13 4 WATER QUALITY: PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES FOR THE DERWENT RIVER CATCHMENT .................................................................14 5 WATER QUANTITY VALUES..........................................................................29 5.1 OVERVIEW..........................................................................................................29 5.2 WATER QUANTITY VALUES.................................................................................29 6 COMMUNITY WATER VALUES FOR THE DERWENT RIVER CATCHMENT ..............................................................................................................31 3 2 INTRODUCTION 2.1 Why do we need water reform? 2.2 What are these reforms? A good supply of fresh, clean water is Two major aspects of the water reforms an essential requirement for human life, are water quality management and water quantity management. a healthy environment and a productive economy. (a) water quality management We need water for drinking, for recreational activities like fishing, The State Policy on Water Quality swimming and boating, to provide the Management 1997 is designed to food we eat and export, to generate maintain or enhance the quality of clean electricity, and to support mining Tasmanian surface waters. Principal and other industries. objectives of the Policy include: We also expect our rivers and lakes to • Move on from reliance on ‘end of look healthy, and provide a healthy pipe’ controls to take into environment for a wide range of aquatic consideration the number of plants and animals. discharges into a given water body, or the sensitivity or current We sometimes take for granted that our condition of the water body. use of water resources is sustainable; that our hard-working water will still be • Ensure that diffuse source and point there in a healthy state to provide the source pollution does not endanger same benefits for future generations. the achievement of water quality Tasmanian rivers range from relatively objectives and that pollutants short, swiftly flowing rivers fed from discharged to waterways are mountain sources to slowly flowing reduced as much as possible by the rivers which may be reduced to a series use of best practice environmental of pools during dry periods. Our management. waterways are not immune from • Facilitate and promote integrated problems, however, and many of our catchment management. river systems are showing signs of stress. • Focusing on overall water quality management strategies by River health, and the health of the identifying those water quality economies that depend upon them, is values and uses which are clearly linked to the way we use the considered worthy of protection. waters; the degree of regulation we The first purpose of this paper is to impose; the quantity of water we take explain how the water quality values out; and the quality of water we return. have been identified and could be used. Local communities have a key role in In response to a general recognition identifying these values in their areas. across the community of the importance of having clean water and appropriate (b) water quantity management river flows, the Tasmanian Government is currently finalising a range of reforms The introduction of the Water designed to ensure that these values are Management Act 1999 to replace the protected for the future of the State. Water Act 1957 provides for: 4 • Major changes to the institutional Do you draw water from it to irrigate arrangements for water management; your farm? • The ready transfer of water rights The catchment stakeholders/publics between different users; answers to these questions then helped to develop the community water values • Enhanced stakeholder and for regional wetlands and waterways. community input into water allocation People had different views on these and 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 Planning to ensure sustainable use of management plans. these waters and protection of river health requires sound knowledge of The second purpose of this discussion local water quality and quantity issues. paper was to canvas your views on what Therefore the public submissions is valued in the water resources from a providing local knowledge was water quantity perspective. important. 2.3 What did we want the public to 2.4 How was the public input be do? used? Local communities have a valuable Information from the public on values understanding of their regional particularly relating to water quality waterways. The following questions of assisted the Board of Environmental the catchment stakeholders were asked. Management and Pollution Control and What uses or values do you have for the councils to finalise the range of surface waters in this area that rely upon Protected Environmental Values for the maintaining or enhancing water quality? surface waters of the regional Which of your activities rely upon waterways. These values will be shown maintaining or enhancing the flow of in management plans for the region. water into catchment waterways? Are Information from community there certain places on your rivers that stakeholders, catchment groups and the you traditionally use for swimming or public on water quantity values will be other recreational activities? Do you utilised to better plan the water fish in them? Are there specific resources of the catchments. Water features of your rivers and streams that management planning will be closely are recognised scenic attractions,