Barron Trinity Inlet WQIP Water Quality Improvement Plan for the catchments of the Barron River and Trinity Inlet October 2009 Fiona Barron and David Haynes Barron Trinity Inlet WQIP Acknowledgements The format of this document is based around an original idea created by Russell Kelley (http://homepage.mac.com/russellkelley) Thanks to the following for assistance along the way: John Bennett, Dane Moulton, Andrew Moss (EPA; now DERM) Joann Schmider (ComUnity ACETs) Dale Mundraby (NQLC) Sharlene Blakeney, Kristjen Sorensen, Pete Bradley, Allan Dale, Moni Carlise, Penny Scott, Lyle Johnson (Terrain NRM) Alan Mitchell (ACTFR) Britta Schaffelke (AIMS) Carol Honchin (GBRMPA) Margie Milgate, George Russell (GROWCOM) Joelle Prange (RRRC) John Drewry (Reef Catchments NRM) Catherine Collier, Aroon Edgar (JCU) John Armour, Georgie Pitt, David Morrison, Angus McElnea (NRW; now DERM) Vittorio Brando (CSIRO) Olwyn Crimp Carol Honchin (GBRMPA) Chris Manning (TSC) Barron-Trinity Inlet Steering Committee Front cover photo credits: Barron Falls (F. Barron) Cattana Wetlands (F. Barron) Low Isles (D. Haynes) This publication may be cited as Barron, F. and Haynes, D. (2009).Water Quality Improvement Plan for the catch- ments of the Barron River and Trinity Inlet. Terrain NRM. Further copies of the report may be obtained from www.terrain.org.au 2 Barron Trinity Inlet WQIP Table of Contents Abbreviations..................................................................4 Where are these pollutants coming from?.....................29 About this document.......................................................6 Sediments and nutrients.................................................0 Why care about water quality?........................................6 Current sediment and nutrient loads.............................0 What is a WQIP?.............................................................7 Sources of sediments and nutrients............................... Why have a WQIP for the Barron?................................0 Pesticides....................................................................... The Barron-Trinty Inlet catchment...............................0 What are current pesticide loads?................................. Who developed the Plan?..............................................2 Sources of pesticides..................................................... Acid Sulfate Soils..........................................................4 Stage 6: Management actions........................................ What actions does the WQIP recommend to improve Management Action Tagets........................................... water quality?................................................................6 Priority pollutants..........................................................4 Catchments....................................................................6 Summary of recommendations......................................6 Wetlands........................................................................6 How will the WQIP be implimented?...........................9 Marine influenced areas................................................18 Legislative framework...................................................9 Stages of the Plan..........................................................18 Institutional arrangements.............................................4 Stage 1: Existing information........................................18 Reasonable assurance statement....................................42 Stage 2: Regional EVs..................................................18 Monitoring and Modeling.............................................42 Stage : HEV waterways...............................................2 Consultation and management practices.......................42 Traditional Owner Stories.............................................22 Uncertainty....................................................................4 Specific water quality issues.........................................23 Monitoring, evaluation and reporting............................4 Stage 4: Establishing WQOs.........................................2 Barron WQIP resources.................................................45 Water Quality Guidelines..............................................2 Appendix : Supporting TIMP studies..........................50 Reaches with common water types...............................25 Appendix 2: EVs...........................................................52 Draft WQOs..................................................................25 Appendix : HEVs........................................................59 Draft WQ Targets...........................................................25 Appendix 4: WQOs.......................................................65 Stage 5: Concentrations, loads and targets....................29 How were loads estimated?...........................................29 Barron Trinity Inlet WQIP Abbreviations and terms used E2 Software product for whole-of catchment modeling, subsequently developed into the advanced ACTFR Australian Centre for Tropical modeling package now called Freshwater Research (James Cook WaterCast University) EMC Event Mean Concentration (flow- ANZECC Australian and New Zealand weighted mean) of a water quality Environment and Conservation parameter Council ESD Ecologically Sustainable APVMA Australian Pesticides and Development Veterinary Medicines Authority EPA Queensland Government BMP Best Management Practice Environmental Protection Agency (now DERM) BSES Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations EPP Water Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 1997 Chlorophyll Chlorophyll is the photosynthetic pigment contained in most plants. EP Act Environmental Protection Act It is used as an indirect measure 1994 of the amount of planktonic algae present in water and hence nutrient ESCP Erosion and sediment control plan availability. (usually in an urban context) DERM Queensland Government EVs Environmental Values are those Department of Environment and qualities of the waterway that make Resource Management it suitable to support particular aquatic ecosystems and human DIN Dissolved inorganic nitrogen uses (EPA 2005). includes nitrate, nitrite and total ammonia. DIN is completely FRP Filterable Reactive Phosphorus is bioavailable for phytoplankton the dissolved inorganic phosphorus uptake. available for plant growth, and is sometimes referred to as dissolved DIP Dissolved inorganic phosphorus is inorganic phosphorus. available for plant growth, and is FMS Farm management systems sometimes referred to as filtered reactive phosphorus (FRP). GBRMPA Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority DO Dissolved oxygen, a measure of the amount of available HEV High Ecological Value. HEV oxygen in the water column waters are usually associated with national parks, conservation DON Dissolved organic nitrogen reserves or inaccessible locations. Natural resource management DOP Dissolved organic phosphorus targets for these systems aim to maintain no discernible change DNRW Queensland Government from their natural condition. Department of Natural Resources and Water (now DERM) N Nitrogen DPI&F Queensland Government NO Nitrate is a form of bioavailable Department of Primary Industries 3 nitrogen and Fisheries 4 Barron Trinity Inlet WQIP NO2 Nitrite is a form of bioavailable TN Total nitrogen nitrogen TOs Traditional Owner groups. NOx Oxidised nitrogen composed of the Traditionally, Aboriginal total of nitrate plus nitrite populations in the Barron River and Trinity Inlet areas were not NWQMS National Water Quality evenly distributed, but found Management Strategy along watercourses. TO groups have strong social ownership and P Phosphorus responsibilty for the land and its associated water resources. PN Nitrogen attached to sediment or other particulate material TP Total phosphorus PP Particulate phosphorus commonly TSS Total suspended sediment. The refers to P that does not pass unconsolidated particulate material through a 0.45 μm filter. PP is present in the water column. composed of both organic matter and inorganic material. The organic Turbidity Optical measure of light-absorbing PP is bioavailable in the long term. materials in a water sample, a surrogate measure of suspended Pesticide General classification including solids. Commonly measured with a herbicides, fungicides, Secchi disk. rodenticides, insecticides etc for which many management practices WaterCast Next generation E2 modeling apply. program Pollutant when a contaminant is at WSUD Water Sensitive Urban Design concentrations known to cause environmental harm. WQ Guideline Technically derived numerical QDIP Queensland Department of concentration for indicators that Infrastructure and Planning protect stated EVs. This defines the characteristics of a water body that Reef Plan Australian and Queensland allow a specified use to be carried Government strategy for out (i.e. drinking water, stock improvement to Reef water quality watering etc). by 20 WQO Water Quality Objectives are STP Sewage treatment plant set to protect the environmental values of waterways in the study Terrain area. WQOs are based on the NRM Far North Queensland Natural community’s initial choices Resource Management Group - for EVs and the water quality regional body for the Wet Tropics guidelines to protect them. region WQ Target A water quality target is the water TIMP Trinity Inlet Management Plan quality condition estimated to be achievable given adoption of Toxicant A chemical