2016-02-02 P&O Committee - Item 3 - Attachment 3 - Noosa River Environmental Values and Water Quality Objectives

Noosa River environmental values and water quality objectives




3.1 Water quality objectives (WQOs) to protect aquatic ecosystems
This section provides physico-chemical (section 3.1.1), biological (section 3.1.2) and riparian (section 3.1.3)
WQOs to support the aquatic ecosystem EV. Sources used in deriving locally relevant WQOs are provided
after the tables in each of these sections.

Section 5 of the Queensland Water Quality Guidelines 2009 addresses procedures for the application of
guidelines for aquatic ecosystem protection. For the comparison of test site monitoring data against water
quality objectives, the median concentration of n independent samples at a particular monitoring site should
be compared against the water quality objective of the same indicator, water type and level of aquatic
ecosystems protection; as listed in Tables 2-13 below.

3.1.1 Physico-chemical WQOs
Table 2 below includes the following information:
• water area or water type (column 1) (for boundaries of specified areas, refer to the accompanying plan),
• the corresponding management intent (level of protection) for the identified waters (column 2),
• the corresponding physico-chemical WQOs to achieve the management intent for the identified waters.

The EPP (Water) identifies the management intent (level of protection) for different waters (s 14). In
summary:
• It identifies some waters for which the management intent is to maintain or achieve an effectively
   unmodified waterway condition (high ecological value - HEV). These may include waters that are
   currently HEV, slightly disturbed, or potentially, more modified waters which can be progressively
   improved to achieve HEV condition. Any such waters are identified in Columns 1 and 2 of Table 2 and
   are identified and labelled on the accompanying plan in cross-hatching.
• The management intent (level of protection) for most waters is to achieve a moderately disturbed
   condition, for which corresponding WQOs have been derived.
• The management intent (level of protection) for highly disturbed waters is that they be progressively
   improved. Some highly disturbed waters may require a long time frame to return to a moderately
   disturbed condition level. In some circumstances, interim WOQs that reflect a more highly disturbed
   condition level (which is an improvement on current condition) may be determined for such waters. Any
   such locations and their corresponding management intent (level of protection) are also identified in the
   table and accompanying plan.

Some objectives apply to specific areas or water types as indicated in Table 2 and shown on Plan WQ1401,
while others apply to more than one water type, as indicated in the Table.




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