You are here: ANRA home » Natural resource topics » Water » Overview » Queensland
This web site is no longer being updated
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 - Overview - Queensland
Basin & Surface Water Management Area: Plane Creek
Introduction
The Plane (Sandy Ck) SWMA has an area of 2670 sq km and is situated south of Mackay on the central Queensland coast. It has a mean annual rainfall of 1440mm.
The main developed features in the area are Kinchant Dam and the Eton Irrigation Area and the main town is Sarina. Sugar is the most significant crop.
There are currently only two operational stream gauges in the area.
The SWMA is bounded by the Connors Range in the west which rises to an elevation of 750m and the sea on the east. There are a number of small streams in the catchment , the main ones being Sandy Ck, Plane Ck and Carmila Ck. There are extensive mangrove areas growing around the estuaries of all streams. The northern part of the catchment is a flat coastal plain with a width of 40km and this narrows in the middle and southers parts of the catchment.
Vital Statistics:
| Area: | 2,670 Km2 |
|---|---|
| Total storage volume: | 9,810 |
| Total surface water use: | 38,419 ML/yr |
| Development category: | MEDIUM DEVELOPMENT |
| Mean annual run-off: | 812,500 ML/yr |
A four-class classification system was developed to provide a simple method to communicate the status of the use and allocation of Australia's water resources in relation to sustainable water management.
It is important to recognise that adequately quantifying a sustainable flow regime or sustainable yield and consequent operating rules is a complex matter. State, Territory and scientific agencies continue to develop and apply methods and measures for determining sustainable flow regimes and sustainable yields.
This categorisation provides a general guide only. Please refer to the State and Territory Overview and Technical reports for detail on the analysis methods used.
| Category | Development status | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | <30% | Low development | |
| 2 | 30 - 70% | Moderate development | |
| 3 | 70 - 100% | Highly developed | |
| 4 | 100% | Overdeveloped |
* Water use as a percentage of sustainable flow regime (surface water) and sustainable yield (groundwater)
PLEASE NOTE:
Sustainable Yield:
No sustainable yield studies are available for this SWMA. A Water Management Plan is currently being developed for this SWMA.
PLEASE NOTE:
Categorisation:
No sustainable yield studies are available for this SWMA.
This SWMA has a medium level of development. It has one storage which is filled by water harvesting from Pioneer SWMA125. A Water Management Plan is currently being developed for this SWMA.
How saline are the surface water resources in the Plane Creek surface water management area?
No data were available about the salinity of surface water resources in the Basin / SWMA for the Australian Water Resources Assessment 2000.
Major water storages
Table: Major water storage areas:
| Storage name: | Capacity (ML) |
|---|---|
| Kinchant Dam | 9,810 |
| Eton Irrigation Area | no data |
| Total | 9,810 |
Further Information
- View the Queensland Water Resources Assessment 2000 Report
- View the Queensland Water Resources Assessment 2000 Technical Report
- Link to data available for download on the:
- Surface Water Management Areas
- Data from the 1985 Review of Australia's Water Resources and Water Use
- Link to the Map Maker to make a map using this information.
- For more information about water and other natural resource issues link to www.nrm.qld.gov.au.
Key
Links to an another web site
Opens a pop-up window