Estuary Assessment 2000: South Australia
South Australia
Key findings
Key messages
- South Australia has a predominantly arid climate leading to several inverse estuaries, with salinity increasing to the upper reaches. Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent are two of the world's largest inverse estuaries.
- Many of South Australia's estuaries are either coastal lagoons with little freshwater input or have small catchments with only periodic river inflow.
- The Coorong and Lower Lakes estuary is the downstream end-point of the Murray-Darling system. Catchment and river influences from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia affect the estuary, and its management requires extensive collaboration.
- A State management plan is required to integrate State and local government planning as well as developments within estuaries and their catchments.
Key needs
- A lead agency to coordinate estuarine management linking marine and coastal initiatives as well as integrated natural resources management and catchment management.
- Resources for monitoring and research in South Australia's estuaries to broaden our knowledge of the State's estuarine systems particularly inverse or arid-region estuaries.
- A central geographic information system database/data management system-including marine, coastal, estuarine and waterways information-linked to data sets of commercial and recreational activities as a basis for planning and decision making.
- A focus on regional estuarine management and capacity building in regional National Parks and Wildlife offices to enable inclusion of estuarine issues in nature conservation management.
- Aquaculture development within a framework of coastal and estuarine management plans, and integrated coastal management to foster aquaculture development.
- Promotion of an overall duty of care for estuaries through collaborative government, industry and community initiatives, as a basis for improved management activities.
- Restoration programs for estuaries that have been classified as extensively modified based on an assessment of return on investment.
- Baseline monitoring of selected estuaries classified as near-pristine to largely unmodified.
- Assessment of the economic value of key estuaries and their importance to South Australia as input to investment and management strategies such as aquaculture development.
- Encouragement and facilitation of combined and multi-disciplinary research projects on priority estuaries and management issues linking South Australian tertiary and research institutes including South Australia Research and Development Institute, the University of Adelaide, Flinders University, Port Lincoln Marine Science Centre, the University of South Australia and CSIRO.
Management arrangements
Estuarine management and data collection is within the scope of several State departments, catchment water management boards and local government councils. No one central organisation coordinates an estuaries program State wide.
The Department for Environment and Heritage is the lead agency undertaking research on South Australia's estuaries. Within this department, the Environment Protection Agency has developed the Environment Protection Policy on Water Quality involving marine, estuarine and freshwater resources. The agency also undertakes ambient water quality monitoring in two of the State's estuaries (the Port River estuary and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert near the mouth of the River Murray). The Department released the Coorong, and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Ramsar Management Plan in September 2000.
The Office for Coast and Marine is in National Parks and Wildlife South Australia, Department of Environment and Heritage. One of the office's main roles is the implementation of the Marine and Estuarine Strategy for South Australia - Our Seas & Coasts (1998). The office has also managed South Australia's contribution to the Audit estuary assessment.
The Department of Water Resources has lead jurisdiction for water quantity allocations as well as for the management of the River Murray. Through this department, the Murray Mouth Advisory Committee provides advice to the Murray-Darling Basin Commission and the South Australian Government on strategies to prevent closure of the Murray mouth. Estuarine management is covered within the State Water Plan 2000 (Section 4.4.6).
Primary Industries and Resources including South Australia Research and Development Institute, and South Australia Water including the Australian Water Quality Centre are involved in estuarine monitoring (fish surveys, water quality, eutrophication and algal blooms). Many of the seaside local councils as well as the Catchment Water Management Boards deal with day-to-day issues confronting estuaries including planning regulations.
Associated with the Catchment Water Management Boards are several Waterwatch groups that monitor some State rivers and their mouths. The Barker Inlet Port Estuary Committee is a community and local government initiative established since 1999 to promote integrated estuarine management of that region.
Policies
- The Marine and Estuarine Strategy - Our Seas & Coasts 1998
- State Water Plan 2000-Water Resources Management Policy for Estuaries (section 4.4.6)
- Environment Protection (Water Quality) Policy (covers all waters in the State including marine and inland surface and underground waters).
- State Acts relating to estuarine management administered by the Department for Environment and Heritage: Coast Protection Act 1972 (SA), Native Vegetation Act 1991 (SA), Environment Protection Act 1993 (SA), National Parks and Wildlife Act 1997 (SA).
- Other relevant Acts: Water Resources Act 1997 (SA), Local Government Act 1999 (SA), Development Act 1993 (SA), Fisheries Act 1982 (SA), Soil Conservation and Landcare Act 1989 (SA).
Community initiatives
A number of community groups are active in estuarine initiatives. These include regional Coastcare and Waterwatch groups, Our Patch, the Port Adelaide Environment Forum, Community Action for Port and Peninsula, the Middle Beach Education Centre and the Southern Fluerieu Catchment Resource Centre Marine Education Program.
State priorities
- Development of a State-wide Estuaries Management Implementation Plan through the Marine Managers Forum and in conjunction with local government, Catchment Water Management Boards and other stakeholders as included in the State Water Plan.
- Formation of an Estuaries Advisory Committee to advise the Marine Managers Forum on estuarine issues.
- An integrated management framework for the Barker Inlet Port Estuary as outlined in their management strategy.
- Establishment of coastal and estuarine protected areas.
- Development of a Coastal Habitat Policy.
Around the State
Local issues of State significance
- The formation of the Barker Inlet and Port River Estuary Integrated Management and Protection Strategy and Barker Inlet Port Estuary Committee;
- Lower lakes and Murray mouth initiatives, including the Murray Mouth Committee;
- Key projects include: Sediment Transport Modelling, Encounter 2002 Program, Natural History of Nuyts Archipelago, Gulf St Vincent ten-year study, Regional Bio-icons and the Acid Sulfate Soils Project.
South east coast
Estuaries from the Victorian border to the tip of the Fluerieu Peninsula are characterised by a semi-arid to temperate climate and predominantly winter rainfall. The main land uses in the Millicent Coast and Lower Murray River basins are grazing, agriculture (e.g. vines) and some timber plantations in the south east. These estuaries are modified to extensively modified. The estuaries are mostly wave-dominated, particularly the Coorong and Lower Lakes where wave energy has resulted in the formation of the Young Husband and Sir Richard Peninsulas. The coast is exposed to some of the highest wave energies in Australia and includes extensive carbonate sediments.
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island estuaries are characterised by a temperate climate and predominantly winter rainfall. The western third of the island is Flinders Chase National Park. Grazing and cropping are the main land uses elsewhere. The estuaries are 'largely unmodified' to modified. Near-pristine estuaries occur in the National Park. Most of the estuaries are small with small catchments, apart from the American River estuary that is part of an extensive coastal lagoon. There is diversity in the way these estuaries function with tidal and wave energy being significant. The southern part of the island is exposed to high wave energy from the Southern Ocean.
Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf
Estuaries in the gulfs from the tip of the Fluerieu Peninsula to the west coast of Spencer Gulf (eastern Eyre Peninsula) are characterised by a semi-arid to arid climate with predominantly winter rainfall. Grazing and agriculture are the main land uses; industrial and urban land uses also occur along eastern Gulf St Vincent and in upper Spencer Gulf. All these estuaries are modified to extensively modified. There is significant variation in the functioning of the Gulf estuaries with wave energy influencing southern estuaries and tidal energy predominating in the northern reaches of the Gulfs where extensive tidal flats have formed. Few South Australian estuaries have significant river energy (e.g. Onkaparinga River estuary).
Eastern Great Australian Bight
Estuaries from the southern tip of Eyre Peninsula and westward are characterised by an arid climate with some winter rainfall. Only minor surface flows occur, although groundwater seepage may be significant. Grazing and cropping (sheep-wheat belt) are the main land uses. These estuaries/coastal lagoons range from near-pristine to modified depending on the extent of oyster aquaculture and catchment clearance. The way these estuaries function is diverse; tidal and wave energy are significant for most of them.
Further information
For further information about the Australia-wide assessment, please contact: National Land and Water Resources Audit Phone: 02 6263 6035 Email: info@nlwra.gov.au
CRC Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management
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