Queensland Water Quality Guidelines 2009 Prepared by: Environmental Policy and Planning, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection © State of Queensland, 2013. Re-published in July 2013 to reflect machinery-of-government changes, (departmental names, web addresses, accessing datasets), and updated reference sources. No changes have been made to water quality guidelines. 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 Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (2009) Queensland Water Quality Guidelines, Version 3, ISBN 978-0- 9806986-0-2. July 2013 Contents 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................7 1.1 National context and need for local guidelines................................................................................................7 1.2 What are the Queensland Water Quality Guidelines?.....................................................................................7 1.2.1 Purpose...................................................................................................................................................7 1.2.2 Version and updating ..............................................................................................................................7 1.2.3 Extent of application................................................................................................................................7 1.2.4 Scope of the Queensland Water Quality Guidelines ..............................................................................7 1.2.5 Relationship of ANZECC 2000 Guidelines and QWQG to Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009 ..............................................................................................................................................................10 1.3 Queensland water quality management context ...........................................................................................10 1.3.1 Links to environmental values and water quality objectives .................................................................10 1.3.2 Associated planning processes and related documents.......................................................................10 2 Technical context for the Queensland guidelines for aquatic ecosystem protection ..........................................12 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................12 2.2 Levels of aquatic ecosystem protection.........................................................................................................13 2.2.1 Aquatic ecosystem condition ................................................................................................................13 2.2.2 Guideline for aquatic ecosystems for different levels of protection ......................................................14 2.3 Regionalisation of guidelines.........................................................................................................................16 2.3.1 Regional and sub-regional guidelines...................................................................................................16 2.3.2 Queensland regions for water quality ...................................................................................................16 2.3.3 Relationship of QWQG regions for water quality to regionalisation under vegetation management codes ..............................................................................................................................................................20 2.3.4 Relationship of QWQG regions and guidelines to Great Barrier Reef Marine Park waters and guidelines.............................................................................................................................................................21 2.4 Defining water types for guidelines................................................................................................................23 2.5 Guidelines under baseflow and non-baseflow conditions .............................................................................25 2.6 Indicators .......................................................................................................................................................27 2.7 Groundwater ..................................................................................................................................................28 3 Queensland guideline values ..............................................................................................................................29 3.1 South-east Queensland region......................................................................................................................29 3.1.1 South-east Queensland regional guideline values for physico-chemical indicators (slightly to moderately disturbed waters) ..............................................................................................................................31 3.1.2 South-east Queensland sub-regional guideline values for physico-chemical indicators (specific waters) ..............................................................................................................................................................33 3.1.3 South-east Queensland regional guideline values for biological indicators (slightly to moderately disturbed waters) .................................................................................................................................................44 3.1.4 South-east Queensland guidelines for management of riparian zones................................................47 3.1.5 Guidelines for fisheries habitat..............................................................................................................51 3.2 Central Coast Queensland region .................................................................................................................52 3.2.1 Central Coast Queensland regional guideline values for physico-chemical indicators (slightly to moderately disturbed waters) ..............................................................................................................................52 3.2.2 Sub-regional guidelines for the Mackay-Whitsunday region.................................................................55 3.2.3 Central Coast Queensland region biological guidelines .......................................................................74 3.2.4 Central Coast Queensland region habitat guidelines ...........................................................................75 3.3 Wet Tropics Region .......................................................................................................................................76 3.3.1 Wet Tropics regional guideline values for physico-chemical indicators (slightly to moderately disturbed waters) ..............................................................................................................................................................76 3.3.2 Wet Tropics sub-regional guideline values for physico-chemical indicators (specific waters) .............79 3.3.3 Wet Tropics habitat guidelines..............................................................................................................82 3.4 Eastern Cape York ........................................................................................................................................82 3.5 Gulf Rivers .....................................................................................................................................................82 3.6 Lake Eyre.......................................................................................................................................................82 3.7 Murray Darling ...............................................................................................................................................82