BAIT_MAN
20-10-2006, 07:35 AM
Water health in freefall Brian Williams
October 19, 2006 12:00am
BRISBANE'S rivers and creeks are becoming more polluted every year. Seven years of monitoring shows that most of southeast Queensland waterways and Moreton Bay are either not improving or are on a downward spiral due to pollution and drought.
A report card compiled on the waterways' condition has given the Brisbane River estuary a D- rating due to high nutrients, dirty water and low oxygen levels.
Oxley Creek rated an F, Cabbage Tree Creek a D- and Tingalpa Creek a D.
It prompted Di Tarte, director of Healthy Waterways, the scientific group that organises the monitoring, to call for $500 million to be spent repairing waterways over the next five to 10 years.
Ms Tarte said funds should be spent on revegetation, erosion and wetland restoration.
Australian Rivers Institute director Stuart Bunn supported her call, saying less than the price of a cup of coffee per resident was spent maintaining waterways.
Environment Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr conceded the findings were worrying given the area faced unprecedented population growth. But she said the Government had introduced vegetation protection laws and regional planning to sustain the environment.
She called on the rural sector to play a role, saying about 60 per cent of run-off came from upstream farm areas.
Overall, the Healthy Waterways report card gave Brisbane's freshwater streams an F, down from a D- minus last year.
The Redlands catchment to the east, suffering from extensive clearing and development, also rated an F.
Pine Rivers on the city's northside did better with a C, although the North Pine River estuary rated a D.
Upstream at Ipswich, the Bremer River received a D- as did the Lockyer catchment near the Great Dividing Range.
The Upper Brisbane Catchment, where Brisbane's drinking water is sourced for Wivenhoe Dam, dropped from a C- to a D.
The Logan, including Beaudesert, Logan City, Beenleigh and Boonah, was generally in poor condition.
In the residential growth strip between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the Logan estuary received an F, the lowest it had been rated. Southern Moreton Bay continued to decline.
Estuarine reaches of the Albert River received an F although the Pimpama and Coomera areas of the Gold Coast did better with a C+.
The Noosa River estuary rated an A- and its freshwater catchment a B.
Logan and Albert Rivers Catchment president Andy Grodecki said the findings were disturbing and called for major funding to turn around the decline.
Queensland Conservation Council coordinator Toby Hutcheon called on the Government to protect the health of the Logan and Moreton Bay by scrapping the proposed Wyaralong Dam.
Wildlife Preservation Society Redlands branch spokesman Simon Baltais said the bay's future was in the balance.
"Moreton Bay is an economic powerhouse driven by its natural assets. You fail to protect those assets you risk losing millions of dollars and thousands of jobs," Mr Baltais said.
October 19, 2006 12:00am
BRISBANE'S rivers and creeks are becoming more polluted every year. Seven years of monitoring shows that most of southeast Queensland waterways and Moreton Bay are either not improving or are on a downward spiral due to pollution and drought.
A report card compiled on the waterways' condition has given the Brisbane River estuary a D- rating due to high nutrients, dirty water and low oxygen levels.
Oxley Creek rated an F, Cabbage Tree Creek a D- and Tingalpa Creek a D.
It prompted Di Tarte, director of Healthy Waterways, the scientific group that organises the monitoring, to call for $500 million to be spent repairing waterways over the next five to 10 years.
Ms Tarte said funds should be spent on revegetation, erosion and wetland restoration.
Australian Rivers Institute director Stuart Bunn supported her call, saying less than the price of a cup of coffee per resident was spent maintaining waterways.
Environment Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr conceded the findings were worrying given the area faced unprecedented population growth. But she said the Government had introduced vegetation protection laws and regional planning to sustain the environment.
She called on the rural sector to play a role, saying about 60 per cent of run-off came from upstream farm areas.
Overall, the Healthy Waterways report card gave Brisbane's freshwater streams an F, down from a D- minus last year.
The Redlands catchment to the east, suffering from extensive clearing and development, also rated an F.
Pine Rivers on the city's northside did better with a C, although the North Pine River estuary rated a D.
Upstream at Ipswich, the Bremer River received a D- as did the Lockyer catchment near the Great Dividing Range.
The Upper Brisbane Catchment, where Brisbane's drinking water is sourced for Wivenhoe Dam, dropped from a C- to a D.
The Logan, including Beaudesert, Logan City, Beenleigh and Boonah, was generally in poor condition.
In the residential growth strip between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the Logan estuary received an F, the lowest it had been rated. Southern Moreton Bay continued to decline.
Estuarine reaches of the Albert River received an F although the Pimpama and Coomera areas of the Gold Coast did better with a C+.
The Noosa River estuary rated an A- and its freshwater catchment a B.
Logan and Albert Rivers Catchment president Andy Grodecki said the findings were disturbing and called for major funding to turn around the decline.
Queensland Conservation Council coordinator Toby Hutcheon called on the Government to protect the health of the Logan and Moreton Bay by scrapping the proposed Wyaralong Dam.
Wildlife Preservation Society Redlands branch spokesman Simon Baltais said the bay's future was in the balance.
"Moreton Bay is an economic powerhouse driven by its natural assets. You fail to protect those assets you risk losing millions of dollars and thousands of jobs," Mr Baltais said.