Wetland Management

South East Queensland (SEQ) Healthy Waterways Report Card Initiative

source: SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership and The Corporate Advantage PR

Media Release Summary

Healthy Waterways Report Card 07

2007 REPORT CARD – One page summary of key messages

The waterways of South East Queensland received their annual Report Card grades again today. The Report Card is the public face of an intensive 12-month Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program coordinated by the SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership, which provides grades for 18 catchments and 18 estuaries in South East Queensland and nine marine zones within Moreton Bay. The area covered by the monitoring program ranges from Noosa in the north, south to the New South Wales border and west to Toowoomba and includes a rating system ranging from ‘A for excellent’ to ‘F for fail’. Results from the 2007 Report Card include:

h4. Estuaries and Moreton Bay

In general, SEQ estuaries and Moreton Bay itself showed an improvement in ecosystem health, associated with low rainfall and run-off, reducing inputs of sediment and nutrients from rivers.
In light of the pressure on Moreton Bay (e.g. increasing population), the Bay is holding up. We are seeing the improvements in the system in response to the significant investments from partners, especially, local and state governments and industry to address point sources/sewage treatment plants.
This is clearly seen in the Brisbane River with the upgrade of Oxley Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), Cabbage Tree Creek with the upgrade of Sandgate WWTP and more significantly in the Bremer River with the different management interventions.
These improvements in point sources have not only been manifested in the estuaries themselves, but we are also seeing some improvements in Bramble Bay, which is no longer the lowest ranking embayment in Moreton Bay.
Unfortunately, because of increased nutrients, Lyngbya blooms and turbidity, the lowest ranking embayment in Moreton Bay is now Deception Bay.
The new Queensland Water Quality Guidelines (QWQGs) were introduced for the first time this year to ensure that high ecological value areas such as the Eastern Banks and Eastern Bay within Moreton Bay are protected.

Freshwater catchments

There was little change in the overall score of streams compared to last year.
The state of SEQ catchment streams reflects the effects of 160 years of settlement and the current prolonged drought.
The decline in Upper Brisbane and Stanley areas reflects continued low rainfall in our water supply catchments and increased pressure on remaining aquatic habitats.
Poor ecosystem health in the urbanised streams in the Brisbane and Redlands areas has resulted in these streams maintaining an F rating.
Streams that are degraded by poor riparian and catchment landuse may be less resilient in the face of drought.

Summary

Data for the Report Card was analysed from a total of 381 collection points, comprising 127 freshwater and 254 estuarine and marine sites between July 2006 and June 2007.
Of the 46 grades delivered in 2007, 17 were improvements on the previous year’s ratings, 14 remained unchanged and another 15 reflected declines in ecosystem health since 2006.
Our good to excellent streams, estuaries and zones in Moreton Bay are maintaining their ecosystem health condition. It is reassuring to know that these waterways are retaining their good ecosystem health in the face of increasing development pressure in the region and drought conditions.
The partners should be commended for their significant investments in addressing point sources – however, the Report Card results also highlight the need for us to face the challenge of diffuse loads (both urban and non-urban).
In the catchment areas under development pressure (e.g. expanding urban centres and changing agricultural areas), a significant investment in protection and restoration is required.
As climate variability increases, we face the added challenge of maintaining good ecosystem health in our waterways. There is a need to prepare our catchments for high flow events which bring high loads of sediment and nutrients.

Collecting water samples

Andrew McNamara MP

Summary of Report Card Grades 2003 – 2007

Report Card Grades – freshwater	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Noosa Catchment	A-	A-	B	B	B-
Maroochy Catchment	C ¹	C-	C+	C-	C-
Mooloolah Catchment	C ¹	A-	B-	B	B+
Pumicestone Catchment	B+ ²	C	C+	C-	C-
Caboolture Catchment	B+ ²	C-	B-	B-	C+
Pine Catchment	C	D	C	C	D+
Lower Brisbane Catchment	F	F	D-	F	F
Redlands Catchment	C- ³	D	F	F	F
Logan Catchment		C	D	D+	D
Albert Catchment		B	B	B	B-
Pimpama/Coomera Catchments	C+ ⁴	B	B+	C+	B-
Nerang Catchment		A-	B+	C+	A-
Tallebudgera/Currumbin Catchments		B+	C-	C	B+
Bremer Catchment	D-	D-	D-	D-	D
Lockyer Catchment	F	D	D-	D-	D-
Mid-Brisbane Catchment	C	B-	C+	C+	B-
Upper Brisbane Catchment	D	C-	C-	D	F
Stanley-Kilcoy Catchment	B-	B	B	B-	C+

Report Card Grades – estuarine and marine	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Noosa River estuary	B+	A-	A	A-	A
Maroochy River estuary	D+	D	C	D+	C-
Mooloolah River estuary	B-	B-	B	B	B
Caboolture River estuary	C-	C-	D+	D	D
Pine Rivers estuary	D+	D+	D	D	C-
Cabbage Tree Creek estuary ⁵	-	D-	D-	F	F
Tingalpa Creek estuary	-	D-	D	D	D+
Eprapah Creek estuary ⁵	-	-	-	D	D
Brisbane River estuary	D-	D-	D-	D-	D+
Oxley Creek estuary	-	F	F	F	F
Bremer River estuary	F	F	F	F	D-
Logan River estuary	D-	D	D-	F	D-
Albert River estuary	F	F	F	F	F
Pimpama River estuary	C-	C	C	C	C+
Coomera River estuary	B	B	B+	A-	B
Nerang River estuary	B-	B	B	B	B
Tallebudgera Creek estuary	B	A-	A-	B+	B-
Currumbin Creek estuary	B+	A-	A-	A-	B-

Pumicestone Passage	B-	B	C+	B	B-
Deception Bay	C+	C+	D+	C-	D
Bramble Bay	D	D	D+	D+	D+
Central Bay	A-	A-	B	B-	C
Eastern Bay	A	A	A	A	A-
Eastern Banks	A	A	A	A	A
Waterloo Bay	B	B	B-	B-	B+
Southern Bay	C+	C	D+	D	B-
Broadwater	B-	B-	B-	B-	B+
Moreton Bay – overall rating	B+	B+	B	B	B-

1 – combined grade for Maroochy and Mooloolah catchments
2 – combined grade for Caboolture and Pumicestone catchments
3 – combined grade for Redlands and Logan-Albert catchments
4 – combined grade for Gold Coast catchments
5 – the grades for 2006 and 2007 for this estuary are based on the Queensland Water Quality Guidelines

For further information please contact:

Prue Leng
The Corporate Advantage PR
Ph 07 3844 7477 or 0400 710 547
prue@thecorporateadvantage.com.au

Diane Tarte (Project Director)
SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership
Ph 07 3403 4043 or 0438 132 147
di.tarte@healthywaterways.org

Anna Walker (Media Liaison)
SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership
Ph 07 3403 4525 or 0403 255 385
anna.walker@healthywaterways.org

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