Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM
Volunteers monitor the 'big wet'
During February's 'big wet' highly trained volunteers collected water samples from the major waterways of the Burdekin Dry Tropics Region, including the Burdekin River and its tributaries, as well as the coastal catchments between Giru and Bowen.
As the majority of sediment and nutrients are transported during major flood events, volunteers collect samples from the rising, peak and falling stages of river flow.
The data collected will identify sub-catchments within the region that contribute the highest concentrations and loads of sediment and nutrients. This will assist Burdekin Dry Tropics Natural Resource Management (BDTNRM) to prioritise funding for on-ground actions to address the loss of vital soils and nutrients within the catchment.
"Graziers and cane farmers from the Burdekin are currently working with BDTNRM to identify best management practices that will deliver water quality improvements" said Ian Dight, BDTNRM’s Coastal Catchments Initiative Program manager.
Data from water quality monitoring and the best management practice (BMP) guidelines will inform the development of BDTNRM's Water Quality Improvement Plan, to be released later this year.
Researchers from the Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research (ACTFR), James Cook University have been working with grazier and cane farmer volunteers to collect samples over the past four wet seasons, but the recent rains have caused the largest river flows in the region since the commencement of the project, with major flooding causing roads to be cut throughout the catchment.
"The volunteer network consisting of over 30 sites throughout the sizable Burdekin catchment, from Greenvale in the north to Alpha in the south, successfully sampled this catchment-wide rainfall event, with many volunteers remarking that the resulting river flows are the largest seen in over a decade" said Zoe Bainbridge, project coordinator.
Volunteer Keith Atkinson said Camel Creek (located near Greenvale) had its largest flow since the major floods in 1991, while volunteer Cath Bettridge reported the intense rainfall of the Mingela region triggered two walls of water to thunder down the Kirk River.
In the more intensive land uses of the lower Burdekin, pesticide samples were collected from the Haughton River and Barratta Creek systems, as well as some of the smaller irrigation channels.
"The extent of these pesticides in the estuarine and marine zones was also monitored in the flood plumes generated by the major waterways of the Haughton River and lower Burdekin region" Ms Bainbridge said.
"Despite rough conditions, flood plume monitoring was undertaken along the gradient of mixing of the fresh and marine waters from the mouth of the Burdekin River to Magnetic Island."
ACTFR's Dr Stephen Lewis said that samples were collected from the Burdekin River flood plume to investigate the biological, physical and chemical make up of the river discharge over this gradient.
"From this data we can understand the extent of terrestrial materials being transported from the Burdekin River into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon," he said.
"Satellite imagery of this recent flood plume shows the plume extending as far north as Hinchinbrook Island.
"In the 80-year historical record for the Burdekin River, this year’s flow event was of moderate size, with larger events in the past known to have caused flood plumes reaching as far north as Cairns," Dr Lewis said.
The 'Burdekin Community Water Quality Monitoring' project was established in 2002 by the ACTFR for Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM.
For more information contact Zoe Bainbridge, Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research, on 4781 4595 or Dr. Ian Dight, Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM, on 4724 3544.
Back to the VoiceLast updated 05 April 2007