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In this section you will find detailed information, including national overviews and state and regional level assessments, from the 2000-2002 National Land and Water Resources Audit theme assessments.
Water resources - Management and Development - Queensland
Groundwater Management Unit: Proserpine River
Introduction
Management Context:
The demand for groundwater supplies in the Don River GMU has resulted in the groundwater resource exceeding its optimal level of development. Allocation levels are greater than the sustainable yield of the resource. Further increases in development could lead to system unreliability and possible failures in the near future.
Groundwater pollution is one of the priority issues for the GMU. The Don River GMU is a major fruit and vegetable producer. Pesticides and other sprays that are used in the growing of such crops may enter the aquifer from the surface. This could affect the quality of groundwater in the GMU.
Saltwater intrusion is another priority issue that requires constant management and monitoring. The Don River GMU has established a monitoring network designed to assess the direction of movement of the saltwater/freshwater interface.
There is a high demand for groundwater supplies of the GMU with no development potential in accordance with the sustainable yield estimate. To meet the increasing demand for groundwater, the sustainable yield of the resource will need to be enhanced through increasing aquifer recharge. Drainage and use patterns are fully established, therefore any increase to recharge would have to be through increasing the rate of artificial recharge.
The Proserpine River GMU is a significant consumer of surface water supplied from the Peter Faust Dam, located just outside the western boundary of the GMU along the Proserpine River. The majority of this water is used for irrigation within the Kelsey Creek Water Board Area. This area of intense irrigation is located in the south-western section of the GMU.
Rising groundwater levels are of concern throughout the GMU. Since the Peter Faust Dam was constructed in 1991, groundwater abstraction has decreased due to increased surface water use. There are concerns regarding the future effects that may be induced by increased recharge, due to the infiltration of irrigation supplies, greatly exceeding the level of abstraction. Effects of this are already being exhibited in the Kelsey Creek Water Board Area.
Groundwater levels within the Kelsey Creek Water Board Area have risen to within 4m of the surface since readings began in 1974. If the water table were to rise sufficiently, waterlogging of the root zone could occur. In 1996, a groundwater investigation attempted to model future groundwater level rises.
Monitoring of the resource is a management priority. Groundwater level measurements are taken twice a year from 112 bores as part of a monitoring bore network. Bores within this network have been sampled for water quality analysis as recently as 1995. A priority issue for the GMU is monitoring of salinity levels along the coast to prevent saltwater intrusion. Although there is no formal saltwater intrusion network, both private and monitoring bores are sampled for water quality trends.
The sustainable yield of the resource was estimated in 1981 and is the basis for all allocations. Reassessment of this estimate is a minor management priority and is considered to be an area of investigation in the near future.
Allocations slightly exceed the sustainable yield. The general water use trend is towards surface water supplies and abstraction is estimated to be approximately 50 % of the total allocation, consequently it is only a minor priority to refine the allocations to sustainable levels.
The formation of a community based Advisory Committee would increase the input into the development of management strategies. It would enhance community awareness regarding the