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

                  CONTENTS

                     1        INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1
                         1.1     W ATERS TO WHICH THIS DOCUMENT APPLIES .............................................................................. 1
                         1.2     GUIDANCE ON USING THIS DOCUMENT......................................................................................... 2
                            1.2.1 Key terms ............................................................................................................................ 2
                            1.2.2 Main parts of this document................................................................................................ 4
                            1.2.3 Use of this document .......................................................................................................... 4
                         1.3     INFORMATION ABOUT MAPPED AREAS AND BOUNDARIES............................................................... 4
                         1.4     W ATER TYPES AND BASIS FOR BOUNDARIES ................................................................................ 5
                            1.4.1 Water types......................................................................................................................... 5
                            1.4.2 Water type boundaries........................................................................................................ 5
                         1.5     MATTERS FOR AMENDMENT ....................................................................................................... 6
                     2        ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES (EVS) ............................................................................................... 7
                         2.1           ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES .......................................................................................................... 7
                         2.2           MANAGEMENT GOALS TO SUPPORT EVS..................................................................................... 7
                     3        WATER QUALITY OBJECTIVES (WQOS) TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES.......... 10
                         3.1     W ATER QUALITY OBJECTIVES (WQOS) TO PROTECT AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS ............................... 11
                            3.1.1 Physico-chemical WQOs .................................................................................................. 11
                            3.1.2 Riparian WQOs................................................................................................................. 17
                            3.1.3 Stormwater design objectives........................................................................................... 17
                         3.2     W ATER QUALITY OBJECTIVES (WQOS) FOR HUMAN USE EVS .................................................... 18
                     4        WAYS TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY ..................................................................................... 28

                     5        DICTIONARY................................................................................................................................. 29
                  List of Tables
                     Table 1 Environmental values (EVs) for Mary River catchment waters ........................................................8
                     Table 2 Water quality objectives to protect aquatic ecosystem environmental value (refer to Plan
                     WQ1381 for location of waters) .........................................................................................................................12
                     Table 3 Water quality objectives to protect human use environmental values...........................................18
                     Table 4 Primary contact recreation EV: Water quality objectives for management of cyanobacteria in
                     contact recreation areas .....................................................................................................................................21
                     Table 5 Aquaculture EV: Water quality objectives for tropical aquaculture ................................................22
                     Table 6 Aquaculture EV: Water quality objectives for optimal growth of particular species in freshwater
                     ................................................................................................................................................................................22
                     Table 7 Aquaculture EV: Water quality objectives for optimal growth of particular marine species........23
                     Table 8 Irrigation EV: Water quality objectives for thermotolerant (faecal) coliforms in irrigation waters
                     used for food and non-food crops .....................................................................................................................24
                     Table 9 Irrigation EV: Water quality objectives for heavy metals and metalloids in agricultural irrigation
                     water – long-term trigger value (LTV), short-term trigger value (STV) and soil cumulative contamination
                     loading limit (CCL) ...............................................................................................................................................25
                     Table 10 Stock watering EV: Water quality objectives for tolerances of livestock to total dissolved
                     solids (salinity) in drinking water........................................................................................................................26
                     Table 11 Stock watering EV: Water quality objectives (low risk trigger values) for heavy metals and
                     metalloids in livestock drinking water................................................................................................................26
                     Table 12 Drinking water EV: Priority water quality objectives for drinking water supply in the vicinity of
                     off-takes, including groundwater, before treatment ........................................................................................27
                     Table 13 Suite of environmental values that can be chosen for protection ................................................30




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