The Burnett Basin Water Resource Plan is undergoing its statutory 10 year replacement. This provides an opportunity to critically review the existing plans performance, address any new and emergent issues and incorporate improved scientific knowledge and advancements in the new plan.
A range of issues that are likely to effect water resource management have emerged since the existing plan was finalised in 2000. This issues include climate change, water quality, aligned planning frameworks and increased community expectations of sustainable outcomes being achieved. Read More Burnett Basin wrp 179.29 Kb
Submission to Connors River Dam and Pipelines project EIS. Queensland Conservation (QCC) and the Capricorn Conservation Council (CCC) have significant concerns about the inadequate approach taken in the EIS to addressing a range of potential broad scale environmental harm , which is likely to occur should the project proceed.
The project has the potential to cause significant adverse impacts to a range of species that inhabit woodland, open grass areas and riparian edges within the proposed inundation area, which the proposed mitigation measures contained in the in environmental management plan fail to adequately address. Inundation of such areas will destroy essential feeding and breeding habitat along with causing fragmentation of what is currently an integral habitat. Read More Connors River EIS 69.06 Kb
Environment Groups Statement on National Water Reform
The pace of water reform has slowed
We call on the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to rapidly accelerate the delivery of existing national water reform commitments and end dangerous levels of water extractions from river and groundwater systems.
Aquatic ecosystems are a life-support system sustaining millions of Australians. COAG’s failure to meet its national water reform commitments is contributing to the destruction of aquatic ecosystems, and threatening our well-being and prosperity. COAG must also address the rapidly growing threats to water quality, ecosystem health and water supplies from mining and infrastructure construction, particularly in NSW and Queensland.
Following media comments by Queensland Conservation (QCC) in response to the sale of Cubbie Station, we felt that it would be appropriate and helpful to advise you of our views regarding the use of water from the property.
The Queensland Government is currently reviewing and renewing the
Fitzroy Basin Water Resource Plan.
The review will examine how well the existing plan has performed. The
new Water Resource Plan should put in place arrangements to achieve
sustainable water resource management over the next 10 years.
It is essential for the new plan to ʻget it rightʼ for the Fitzroy River to stay
healthy and to address priorities such as climate change, water quality,
over-allocation, indigenous cultural values, declining surface and
groundwater availability and the impacts of new mines and dams.
Queensland Conservation has made submissions on the ROPs for the Moreton, Gold Coast and Logan regions and one on the Fitzroy Basin Water Resource Plan.
To read the submissions visit the Rivers Project resources page here
The most significant impediment to achieving ecological sustainable management
of water resources in Queensland; is that water quality objectives and outcomes
are not sufficiently embedded into water resource plans [WRP].
This is clearly evident as although the Department of Natural Resources and
Water utilises an Integrated Quantity and Quality Modelling [IQQM] framework
when developing water resource plans, there has been an overwhelming
emphasis on identifying quantities of water available for consumptive allocation
and environmental needs only – resulting in water quality issues being only
considered superficially at best.
In the absence of robust water quality objectives, it is our strong belief that
many of the Queensland Water Resource Plans [WRP] fail to adequately fail
protect environmental values and public benefit outcomes.
Burnett Basin wrp
Dear Premier,
