Water resources - Quality - Queensland
Queensland
What are the main pressures on surface water quality and the key findings?
Pressures on Surface Water Quality
- Widespread vegetation clearance for various activities such as cropping, grazing and mining;
- point source discharges (sewerage and intensive animal husbandry), urban runoff, and application of fertilisers within catchments;
- organic matter input from stormwater and terrestrial runoff;
- natural soil conditions, topography and climate.
Main findings: Location of Water Quality problems and trends
Turbidity and nutrients were the dominant water quality issues within Queensland. Most North East Coast Drainage Division basins, particularly larger inland extending basins, recorded turbidity exceedances. Several smaller, relatively well vegetated, coastal basins including the Russell-Mulgrave, Johnstone and Pioneer did not have turbidity exceedances. The distribution of nutrient guideline exceedances particularly total phosphorus, paralleled turbidity. Basins without phosphorus exceedances included the Herbert, Tully and Burnett. Data for total nitrogen was less extensive but showed that some basins without exceedances for total phosphorus, did have total nitrogen exceedances i.e., the Herbert. Insufficient data were available to assess nutrient concentration trends.
Queensland does not suffer the major salinity problems experienced in other States. However, trend results identified some basins undergoing changes including the Burdekin and Condomine-Balonne both which recorded increasing salinity. Lower basin tidally influenced sampling sites were included in the exceedance analyses and were thought largely responsible for all basins that recorded salinity exceedances including the Daintree, O'Connell, Kolan, Burrum, Brisbane and Logan-Albert basins.
Exceedances in pH were recorded for a number of coastal Queensland basins. These included several relatively undisturbed basins i.e. the Endeavor and Daintree, and may reflect the natural acidity of lowland floodplain surface waters. Other basins recording exceedances included the Russell-Mulgrave, Tully, Herbert, Ross, O'Connell and Burrum, all of which have relatively intensive development and floodplain modification. Further investigation is warranted to ascertain whether exceedances at these sites were due to natural conditions or potential water quality impacts associated with the disturbance of acid sulfate soils.
With the exception of two sites in Oxley Creek in the Brisbane Basin, faecal coliforms are not routinely monitored in Queensland waterways.
Summaries presented within State and Territory reporting sections are from project reports compiled by State and Territory agencies. For further information contact the Queensland Department of Natural Resources (QDNR) or the Queensland Environment Protection Agency (EPA)
Description of water quality monitoring programs
Organisations Involved
- Queensland Department of Natural Resources (QDNR)
- Queensland Environment Protection Agency (EPA)
Management Objectives
- ANZECC (1992) guidelines for protection of aquatic ecosystems,
- NHMRC (1996) drinking water guidelines and
- Gill (DNR 1996) for agricultural use of water.
Sampling Methods
Routine (regular time period) monitoring (see detailed methodology report).
Summaries presented within State and Territory reporting sections are excepts from project reports compiled by State and Territory agencies. For further information contact the Queensland Department of Natural Resources or the Queensland Environment Protection Agency (EPA)
The following table lists the coverage of water quality monitoring in Queensland. Basins that had no stations used in this assessment of water quality monitoring are not listed in this table.
| Drainage Basin | Number of stations used in water quality reporting | Number of attributes for which exceedance analyses could be determined | Number of attributes for which trend analyses could be determined |
|---|---|---|---|
| QLD | 245 | N/A | N/A |
| Baffle Creek | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Barron River | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Black River | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Border Rivers | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Boyne River | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Brisbane River | 20 | 5 | 4 |
| Burdekin River | 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Burnett River | 11 | 5 | 4 |
| Burrum River | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Calliope River | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Condamine-Culgoa Rivers | 15 | 5 | 5 |
| Coopers Creek | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Daintree River | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Don River | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Endeavour River | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Fitzroy River (Qld) | 26 | 5 | 4 |
| Gilbert River | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Haughton River | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Herbert River | 13 | 5 | 4 |
| Hinchinbrook Island | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Kolan River | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Logan-Albert River | 30 | 5 | 4 |
| Maroochy River | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Mary River (Qld) | 17 | 5 | 4 |
| Mitchell River (Qld) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Mossman River | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Mulgrave-Russell River | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Noosa River | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| OConnell River | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| Pine River | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| Pioneer River | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Plane Creek | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Proserpine River | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Ross River | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| South Coast | 11 | 5 | 3 |
| Tully River | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Water Park Creek | 1 | 5 | 4 |
Click on the basin name in the table to view a water quality report for that basin.
What is the extent of the water quality monitoring coverage?
Reported Monitoring Coverage
262 sites, (163 DNR & 99 EPA) were reported covering 34 basins. The compiled monitoring coverage was good for the more developed part of the State but was primarily restricted to the North-East Coast Drainage Division. Data for three basins of the northern Murray Darling Drainage Division and two basins within the Gulf of Carpentaria division were also reported. No data were reported for the Bulloo-Bancannia and Lake Eyre Drainage Divisions, the majority of Gulf of Carpentaria Drainage Division and for two Murray-Darling Drainage Division basins (Moonie and Warrego).
Monitoring station density and resultant basin coverage was too low to characterise water quality within a number of smaller coastal basins.
Most of State exceedance analysis coverage was for five water quality variables: salinity, turbidity total nitrogen, total phosphorus and pH. Trend analyses were only conducted for turbidity and salinity due to limitations with the period of record and frequency of collection for nutrient and pH data.
Other State water quality data was also excluded from the analysis for the same reasons.
Application of findings, information gaps and recommendations
Application of findings
The assessment of surface water quality in Queensland has provided a valuable insight on the current condition of many Queensland basins and has assisted with the identification of river systems that are improving or degrading over time.
Results in combination with other studies suggest the following areas warrant further attention for Water Quality Management in Qld waterways:
- Monitoring of salinity levels in dryland salinity prone areas
- Acquisition of consistent information on the nutrient status of surface waters
- Control of nutrient rich runoff in intensively cultivated basins
- Control of sediment loss
- Development of a more uniform approach to the monitoring of water quality particularly in poorly represented areas so that baseline data can be collected and regional water quality guidelines developed.
Information Gaps
- Appropriate regional water quality standards / guidelines.
- Trend information for nutrients and turbidity.
- Faecal coliform concentrations and trends in Queensland surface waters.
- Water quality in Lake Eyre, Bulloo-Bancannia and Gulf of Carpentaria drainage divisions
Recommendations
- Develop specific water quality guidelines as per ANZECC (in prep) on a catchment or regional basis to allow for the setting of realistic water quality objectives.
- Water quality monitoring programs in the Murray-Darling, Gulf of Carpentaria, and Bulloo-Bancannia Drainage Divisions be developed further in order to identify existing and potential water quality issues in these drainage divisions.
- Water quality monitoring be considered in relatively undeveloped regions such as Cape York where current near pristine conditions present the opportunity to collect good baseline data.
- Consider a revised monitoring program for nutrient and faecal coliform levels to more adequately understand the condition of waterways in Queensland in relation to nutrient trends and for recreational use.
Summaries presented within State and Territory reporting sections are excepts from project reports compiled by State and Territory agencies. For further information contact the Queensland Department of Natural Resources (QDNR) or the Queensland Environment Protection Agency (EPA)
Further Information
- Further information can be obtain from:
- Link to Map Maker.
Newsletter
What's new
New 'Land Use of Australia, Version 3' data showing irrigation, agriculture and landuse for the years 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001 have been added to the Map Maker.
More on land use data....
Australian Water Resources 2005 data has been added to the Map Maker.
More on the water data...
Key
Links to an another web site
Opens a pop-up window