Introduction

As resource demands and pressure increases so to do the requirements of both management and information needs. Outlined below are the key issues facing the region as determined by the State / Territory water management agency.

What is the estimated demand for surface water in Johnstone River?

How was this assessment undertaken in the Johnstone River Surface Water Management Area?

Development Potential:

This SWMA is a diverse catchment containing multiple land uses. It takes in the rich agricultural districts of the Atherton Tablelands as well as the coastal sugar cane crop areas and contains large urban centres, two existing sugar mills and a planned third mill. All of these activities place demand on existing water supplies, in particular, sugar cane production which is the largest industry in operation. The catchment and region generally attracts large numbers of visitors each year. Tourism and Recreational pursuits within the catchment are focused primarily at the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics rainforest area and the Atherton Tablelands. Within this SWMA (Johnstone) the FNQ2010 Regional Planning Project has identified the following:

• Innisfail to be promoted as a major industry and service centre on the South Coast.
• Investigate development of industrial nodes in the Innisfail/Mourilyan Harbour area.
• Smaller urban centres to continue to develop through controlled urban expansion and provision of additional services and facilities.

The largest consumers of water within the catchment are the South Johnstone and Mourilyan Mills, general irrigaton and the urban water demand from Innisfail. The latter two of these users have been identified as having a greater demand for water in the future. Towns within the Johnstone Shire can be serviced from existing sources of supply within the timeframe of FNQ 2010. It is recommended by the FNQ2010 Regional Planning Report that longer-term strategies be developed which will enable future needs to be anticipated and satisfied. In the Eacham Shire problems already exist with Malanda's water supply. Malanda obtains its supply from the North Johnstone River upstream of Malanda Falls. The North Johnstone Catchment is fully committed and thus additional supplies for Malanda will have to be addressed by either the provision of a storage or by way of water supply from a nearby catchment. An impediment to potential development in the SWMA is the existence of the declared World Heritage listed Wet Tropics Rainforest Area which occupies almost 40% of the SWMA. This is comprised of about 15% Palmerston National Park and 25% State Forest. This SWMA drains into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park World Heritage Area.

Management goals and objectives:

No detailed Management Plans have yet been developed.

See QLD Water Resources Assessment 2000 Report and Water Resources Assessment 2000 Technical Report for comment on methods and assumptions.

Comments on Management Responses in the Johnstone River Surface Water Management Area

Current Management Response:

Desired (Current) Management Response:

2020 Management Response:

NA

2050 Management Response:

NA

See QLD Water Resources Assessment 2000 Report for comment on management responses.

Assessment of Monitoring

Efficacy of the network:

The Department of Natural Resources (Queensland) carries out extensive monitoring of the States water resources. Flows are continuously monitored and data is kept in the HYDSYS database. Water quality is continuously monitored at selected gauges and is also sampled when hydrographers visit the gauges. All quality data is stored in the HYDSYS database. This monitoring network is reviewed periodically.

All water use in the State is licensed. Use on unregulated streams and from overland flow is not measured. Use from regulated streams is metered with the meters being read at regular intervals. Data on water allocations made by the Department of Natural Resources (Queensland) is held in the WERD database. Data on water allocated by an Order in Council or a Government Act is not held in a centralised database.

All Referable Storages are licensed.

The streams in this SWMA are unregulated. There are currently six gauging stations in operation recording height and discharge. Two gauging stations that recorded gauge height and discharge have been closed.

Data management requirements:

See the main database for additional comments on Current and Desired Management responses.

Protective management:

Any major developments, which require the use of water or are liable to effect water quality within Queensland, are required to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment. This is required for both developed and undeveloped catchments.

Options for monitoring:

NA

See QLD Water Resources Assessment 2000 Technical Report for an assessment of monitoring

Data Availability, Gaps and Recommendations

Data Availability:

There are six stream gauges currently operating within the SWMA

Water quality has been monitored at five sites in the SWMA.

All regulated users are metered and water use is measured at regular intervals.

Information and records for the gauges are held in the HYDSYS database.

Records of allocations for all licenced users are kept in the WERD database. Regulated users have volumetric allocations and unregulated users have an irrigated area allocation. Unregulated water users are not metered and there is no record of water use. Allocations granted under an Order in Council for special users such as Local Authorities or under Government Acts are not held in a centralised database.

Current Gaps and Recommendations:

Data Gaps: No measurement of unregulated water use. No measurement of water harvesting use. No detailed environmental flow assessment of key sites in the SWMA. Recommendations:

Future Gaps:

Water resource system models are the main management decision tools which will need to be linked in the future to improve economic, financial, social and environmental response models. Good data and information are fundamental to the accuracy and validity of these tools. Some of the needs and gaps associated with this data and information are discussed below:

There is little knowledge of the land use impacts on stream flow over a period of time.

There are limited records of the quantity of water extracted from the main stream and overland flow by water harvesting.

A database is required for all water allocations other than those already contained in the WERD database. This would include all allocations made by Government Act and Order in Council.

No information is available for unregulated water use as these users do not have meters. Much of the water harvesting in the state is also unmetered unless it is on a regulated stream.

See QLD Water Resources Assessment 2000 Technical Report for a review of data availability,gaps and recommendations.

Further information

• Queensland Water Resources Assessment 2000 Technical Report
• Link to data available for download on the Surface Water Management Areas
• Link to the Map Maker to make a map using this information.