2016-02-02 P&O Committee - Item 3 - Attachment 4 - Mary River Environmental Values and Water Quality Objectives

            Mary 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) and riparian (section 3.1.2) 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 2-12 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 WQ1381,
            while others apply to more than one water type, as indicated in the Table.




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Document Set ID: 20002123
Version: 1, Version Date: 21/12/2015