paper 1 · 2011. 8. 18. · title: paper_1 author: tasmanian government created date: 6/8/2006...

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DEPARTMENT of PRIMARYINDUSTRIES, WATER andENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL

MANAGEMENT

GOALS

for TASMANIAN

SURFACE WATERS

TAMAR ESTUARY AND

NORTH ESK CATCHMENTS

December 2005

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Environmental Management Goals

For Tasmanian Surface Waters:

Tamar Estuary and North EskCatchments

Between 2001 and 2005 ProtectedEnvironmental Values were set for thewaterways that are located within theTamar Estuary and North EskCatchments. A discussion paper wasprepared to facilitate publicparticipation in setting the PEVs. Thisdiscussion paper was intended as a basisfor community and stakeholderparticipation in the process ofdeveloping environmental managementgoals for the waterways that are locatedwithin the Tamar Estuary and North EskCatchments.

The paper was prepared by theDepartment of Primary Industries,Water and Environment in associationwith the Tasmanian Parks and WildlifeService and Latrobe, West Tamar,George Town, Launceston City,Northern Midlands, Break O’Day,Meander and Dorset Councils.

Words and expressions used in this finalpaper have, unless the contrary intentionappears, the same meaning as defined inthe State Policy on Water QualityManagement 1997 and theEnvironmental Management andPollution Control Act 1994. Ecosystemrefers to physical, chemical andbiological aspects of the aquaticenvironment.

The first part of the paper is divided intosix main sections:

1. The first part describes water reformin general.

2. The second part gives some generalinformation relating to the areacovered in the paper.

3. The third part discusses the StatePolicy on Water QualityManagement.

4. The final Protected EnvironmentalValues for the area are shown inpart four.

5. The fifth section discusses waterquality and water quantity values

6. Part six lists the community watervalues for the catchments.

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1 INTRODUCTION 4

1.1 WHY DO WE NEED WATER REFORM? ..............................................................................................41.2 WHAT ARE THESE REFORMS?...........................................................................................................41.3 WHAT WILL THIS COMMUNITY INPUT ACHIEVE? ..........................................................................51.4 WHAT DO WE WANT YOU TO DO? ....................................................................................................51.5 HOW WILL YOUR INPUT BE USED?...................................................................................................5

2 TAMAR ESTUARY AND NORTH ESK CATCHMENT OVERVIEW 7

2.1 CATCHMENT DESCRIPTION ..............................................................................................................72.1.1Water Resources ..................................................................................................................................82.1.2Land Use..............................................................................................................................................92.2 WATER QUALITY ...............................................................................................................................92.3 VALUES AND RESOURCES OF THE TAMAR ESTUARY..................................................................112.4 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ...............................................................................................................12

3 WATER QUALITY : THE STATE POLICY ON WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT 14

3.1 SETTING PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES .......................................................................143.2 PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES CATEGORIES................................................................143.3 COMMUNITY INPUT .........................................................................................................................15

4 WATER QUALITY : PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES FOR THE TAMARESTUARY AND NORTH ESK CATCHMENTS 17

5 WATER QUANTITY VALUES FOR THE TAMAR ESTUARY AND NORTH ESKCATCHMENTS 28

5.1 OVERVIEW........................................................................................................................................285.2 WATER QUANTITY VALUES............................................................................................................28

6. COMMUNITY WATER VALUES 30

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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Why do we need water reform?

A good supply of fresh, clean water isan essential requirement for human life,a healthy environment and a productiveeconomy.

We need water for drinking, forrecreational activities like fishing,swimming and boating, to provide thefood we eat and export, to generateclean electricity, and to support miningand other industries.

We also expect our rivers and lakes tolook healthy, and provide a healthyenvironment for a wide range of aquaticplants and animals.

We sometimes take for granted that ouruse of water resources is sustainable;that our hard-working water will still bethere in a healthy state to provide thesame benefits for future generations.Our waterways are not immune fromproblems, however, and many of ourriver systems are showing signs ofstress.

Tasmanian rivers range from relativelyshort, swiftly flowing rivers fed frommountain sources to slowly flowingrivers which may be reduced to a seriesof pools during dry periods.

River health, and the health of theeconomies that depend upon them, isclearly linked to the way we use thewaters; the degree of regulation weimpose; the quantity of water we takeout; and the quality of water we return.

In response to a general recognitionacross the community of the importanceof having clean water and appropriateriver flows, the Tasmanian Governmenthas recently introduced a range of

reforms designed to ensure that thesevalues are protected for the future of theState.

1.2 What are these reforms?

Two major aspects of the water reformsare water quality management andwater quantity management.

(a) water quality management

The State Policy on Water QualityManagement 1997 is designed tomaintain or enhance the quality ofTasmanian surface waters. Principalobjectives of the Policy include:

• Move on from reliance on ‘end ofpipe’ controls to take intoconsideration the number ofdischarges into a given water body,or the sensitivity or currentcondition of the water body.

• Ensure that diffuse source and pointsource pollution does not endangerthe achievement of water qualityobjectives, and that pollutantsdischarged to waterways arereduced as much as possible by theuse of best practice environmentalmanagement;

• Facilitate and promote integratedcatchment management.

• Focusing on overall water qualitymanagement strategies byidentifying those water qualityvalues and uses that are consideredworthy of protection.

The first purpose of this paper is toexplain how the water quality valueswere identified and will be used. Localcommunities played a key role inidentifying these values in their areas.

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(b) water quantity management

The Government has recently finalisednew water management legislation toreplace the Water Act 1957. The WaterManagement Act, 1999 provides for:

• Major changes to the institutionalarrangements for water management;

• The ready transfer of water rightsbetween different users;

• Enhanced stakeholder and communityinput into water allocation andmanagement; and

• A more transparent and equitablewater allocation system, includingformal allocation of flows to maintaina healthy river environment.

• The development of watermanagement plans

The second purpose of this paper is tosummarise stakeholder and publicviews on what you value in your waterresources from a water quantityperspective.

1.3 What did this community inputachieve?

The objective was to identify WaterManagement Goals for the catchmentswithin your region. These WaterManagement Goals include ProtectedEnvironmental Values (PEVs) asdefined under the State Policy on WaterQuality Management, and identifiedcommunity water values.

1.4 What do we want you to do?

Local communities have a valuableunderstanding of their regionalwaterways. Catchment stakeholderswere asked to consider the followingquestions. What uses or values do youhave for surface waters in this area thatrely upon maintaining or enhancing

water quality? Which of your activitiesrely upon maintaining or enhancing theflow of water into catchmentwaterways? Are there certain places onyour rivers that you traditionally use forswimming or other recreationalactivities? Do you fish in them? Arethere specific features of your rivers andstreams that are recognized scenicattractions, such as rapids or waterfalls?Do you know of rare or endangeredanimals or plants in, or adjacent to,specific areas of your rivers or streams?Do you use water for livestockwatering? Does your river supply thelocal town water supply? Do you drawwater from it to irrigate your farm?How often do you need to draw waterfrom it, and when?

Answers to these questions (and thoseof other catchment stakeholders) helpedto develop the community water valuesfor regional wetlands and waterways.People had different views on thesequestions. What was needed was forthe community to try to think about the"big" picture, and how their ownobjectives may impact on the wholecatchment and the wider community.

Planning to ensure sustainable use ofthese waters and protection of riverhealth requires sound knowledge oflocal water quality and quantity issues.As such, the community input providinglocal knowledge was important to theprocess.

1.5 How was your input used?

Information from the public on valuesparticularly relating to water qualityassisted the Board of EnvironmentalManagement and Pollution Control andyour council to finalise the range ofProtected Environmental Values for thesurface waters of your regionalwaterways. These values are to be usedin management planning for the region.

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Information from the community onwater quantity values will be utilisedalong with advice from catchmentgroups and the public to better plan thewater resources of your catchment.Water management planning will beclosely linked with overall catchmentmanagement planning to put waterresource management on a sustainable

footing for the State. Watermanagement planning will beundertaken on a priority basis, withstressed rivers in the State beingtargeted initially.

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TAMAR ESTUARY AND NORTH ESK CATCHMENTOVERVIEW

2.1 Catchment Description

This paper covers PEVs for the TamarEstuary and North Esk Catchments.The South Esk is not covered in thispaper even though it flows to the Tamaras the PEV setting process for the SouthEsk catchment has already beenconducted.

The Tamar and its tributaries drain acatchment area of approximately 10,000km2, comprising over one fifth ofTasmania's land mass in north east andcentral Tasmania. The South Esk Basin(consisting of the Macquarie, Meanderand South Esk sub-catchments)occupies the majority of this total area,while the North Esk basin isconsiderably smaller. Topography inthe catchment varies from the low hillsand rolling plains characteristics of theagricultural regions in the NorthernMidlands, to the high peaks andplateaus of the Western Tiers, BenLomond Range and Eastern Highlands.

The Tamar Estuary extends along asouth east to north west axis forapproximately 70 km, following ameandering path from Launceston toLow Head on Tasmania's north coast,where it enters the Bass Strait. TheTamar River Estuary is formed atLaunceston in the north east ofTasmania, by the confluence of theSouth Esk and North Esk Rivers.

The South Esk Basin is the largestwater catchment in Tasmania, coveringan area of approximately 8,900 kmsquared which is almost 15% ofTasmania's land mass. It is located inthe north-east and midlands. Itsprincipal sub-catchments are the SouthEsk, Macquarie and Meander Rivers.

Water is also diverted into the SouthEsk Basin from the Great Lakecatchment, which lies in the CentralPlateau region1.

The North Esk River basin has twomain sections, comprising thecatchments of the North Esk and the StPatrick's rivers. Its drainage basin isapproximately 1,050 km2 in area. Thegeology of the basin mainly consists ofthree rock types, namely Palaeozoicsediments, Palaeozoic granodiorites andJurassic dolerites. The latter rock typedominates the lower reaches of thecatchment, while the former twodominate the source areas of the NorthEsk and the St Patricks Riversrespectively2.

The upper section of the Tamar Estuaryis generally narrow, but below theBatman Bridge, the Tamar opens outinto several long embayments or 'arms'known as East Arm, Middle Arm andWest Arm. The main channel is quitedeep in the lower estuary, reaching 45metres in depth near Bryants Bay (justoff Deceitful Cove). However, aboveSwan Point (at Paper Beach), theestuary is subject to rapid in-filling bysediments and becomes very shallow asit nears Launceston. Tidal mud flatsborder the main channel of the Tamarthroughout its length.

The morphology of the estuary is that ofa drowned river valley, which wasformed between 13,000 and 6,500 years

1 Pirzl, H., Coughanowr, C. 1997. State of theTamar Estuary: a review of environmental qualitydata to 1997. Supervising Scientist Report 128,Supervising Scientist, Canberra.

2 Skirving, W. 1986. Suspended SedimentSources of the Tamar River. University ofTasmania.

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ago, when sea level rose around 60metres to near its current level. Theestuary winds through the TamarValley, which is long and generallynarrow, and is bordered by the highranges and rolling hills typical of thelocal countryside. The geology of theTamar Valley consists of tertiary andmore recent deposits with substantialareas of Jurassic dolerite. The estuary islocated in the Tamar Graben, whichphysically defines the Tamar regionbetween the Western Tiers and EasternHighlands of Tasmania and from theNorthern Midlands to Bass Strait. Thenorthern end of the graben is defined byridges of Jurassic dolerite, which formWest Head and Low Head at the mouthof the Tamar. Drainage patterns in thelowlands and the Tamar Valley tend tobe rectangular, reflecting the majorlines of faulting and jointing3.

The Tamar Estuary is the only estuaryof its type (mesotidal drowned rivervalley) in Tasmania. It possessesextremely high plant, invertebrate andfish diversity and it possesses a largecomponent of species not foundelsewhere in the State4. The estuarineand coastal ecosystems of the TamarEstuary and its environs provide manyimportant habitats including soft muddyand sand bottoms, open oceanenvironments, wetland communitiesand sandy beaches. These provide manybenefits including commercial andrecreational fisheries, water sports,aesthetic values, recreation, navigation,and education. However, the estuary is


4 Edgar, G.J. Barrett, N.S., Graddon, D.J. 1999.A classification of Tasmanian Estuaries andassessment of their conversation significanceusing ecological and physical attributes,population and land use. Marine ResearchLaboratories Tasmania and Fisheries Institute,University of Tasmania.

also badly degraded as a result ofhuman activities, particularly from theeffects of the large urban population inits drainage area and land clearance inits catchment. Extremely high loads ofsilt continue to be deposited in theestuary, leading to active dredging tomaintain shipping channels and risingmudflats along the shoreline. Theestuary is also badly affected byintroduced species including ricegrass(Spartina anglica) East Asian bagmussel (Musculista senhousia) andPacific oysters ( Crassostrea gigas).5

Two Marine Farming Zones have beenproposed for the Tamar Estuary. One isproposed for the Long Reach area andthe other for the immediate waters nearInspection Head wharf facility.Historically marine farming interests inthe Tamar have been limited, however,there is one existing marine farm leasein the Mowbray Point area which islicensed to culture Pacific oysters. Thisarea will be outside the proposedmarine farming zone but this will notaffect the company’s operations. Thetwo proposed marine farming areas arecurrently being used for a fin fish farmtrial and a land based aquacultureoperation farming seahorses whichprincipally uses Tamar water.

2.1.1 Water Resources

The two main tributaries of the TamarEstuary are the North Esk River and theSouth Esk River. The Estuary itself istidal to the First Basin andpredominantly semi-diurnal (two tidesper day). The water in the Tamargradually becomes less saline withdistance upstream of the estuary. The

5 Edgar, G.J. Barrett, N.S., Graddon, D.J. 1999.A classification of Tasmanian Estuaries andassessment of their conversation significanceusing ecological and physical attributes,population and land use. Marine ResearchLaboratories Tasmania and Fisheries Institute,University of Tasmania.

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South Esk River is the longest river inTasmania (214 kms) and is the mainsource of freshwater flows andsediments to the Tamar. Mean annualflows from the South Esk Basin areapproximately 70 cubic meters persecond. Flow gauging of the North Eskat Ballroom has indicated mean annualflows of 5.6 cumecs though mean flowsfrom the entire North Esk catchmentprobably approach 10 cumecs.

Esk Water collects, conserves, treatsand sells water to participating Councilsand major industries in theLaunceston/Tamar Valley region.There are 5 main treatment plants inthis area: Distillery Creek and ChimneySaddle draw water from intake weirs onthe St Patricks and North Esk Riversrespectively. The Bell Bay treatmentplant draws water from the CurriesRiver Dam whilst the remaining twoplants draw water from the Hydro’sTrevallyn Dam located on the lowerreaches of the South Esk River.

2.1.2 Land Use

The principal land use types within theTamar catchment, as indicated in Table1, are forests and agriculture. Urbanland uses occupy only a smallpercentage of the catchment area,primarily in the immediate vicinity ofthe estuary. Industrial zones are mostlyrestricted to the region surroundingLaunceston, and to the area south eastof George Town. Based on 1994 censusdata, the total population in thecatchment is estimated to be in order of119,000, approximately one-half ofwhich are concentrated in Launcestonand its suburbs6. Other significanttowns include George Town (pop.7000), Longford and Westbury. In themore distant regions of the catchment,

6 Australian Bureau of Statistics. 1995.

small areas of the highlands areprotected as national parks7.

Table 1: Land use areas within theTamar Catchment (Pirzl & Coughanowr1997)

Landuse % of totalcatchment

Woodland, forestand rainforest

52

Agriculture 37

Heath and Scrub 9

Water Storages 2

Urban 0.5

Total 100

2.2 Water Quality

The limited environmental monitoringdata for the Tamar indicates that it isenvironmentally degraded in severalareas, particularly in the vicinity ofLaunceston and near major industrialand mining areas. There have been anumber of significant improvements inindustrial and sewage emissions overthe past 10 years. As major pointsources around the estuary areprogressively upgraded, it is anticipatedthat diffuse sources of pollution willcontribute the majority of contaminants.These diffuse sources such as urban,agricultural and mining run off,atmospheric inputs and ground watercontamination are typically difficult andexpensive to remediate.


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Contaminants identified from a study byPirzl and Coughanowr8 of the highestconcern were:

• Water quality contamination bypathogens derived from acombination of urban run off,sewage, agricultural run off andwaterfowl/wildlife.

• Heavy metal contamination. Zincand cadmium appear to be elevatedin several areas of the Tamar,notably in the upper estuary. Heavymetal concentrations in water,sediments and shellfish collectedfrom these areas have been inexcess of recommended Australianand international guidelines.Sources of heavy metal pollution aremining wastes, ground and surfacewater emissions from tips andcontaminated sites, urban run offand contaminated sediments/dredgespoils in or adjacent to the estuary.

• Fine grain silt accumulation in theUpper Tamar from the North andSouth Esk Rivers.

• Very little data is available onnutrients or chlorophyll a in theTamar beyond indications ofelevated phosphorus in the upperreaches. The Tamar is not known toexperience recurrent nuisance algalblooms.

• Introduced species particularly ricegrass, which appears to acceleratesiltation rates. The Pacific oyster,also an introduced species, hascolonised large areas of mudflatsthroughout the estuary. There isconcern that other potentially


destructive species could also beintroduced via ships ballast water.

• The degradation and potential lossof wetlands and seagrass beds.

The report further identified:

• Contaminants entering the estuarywere from a variety of point and nonpoint sources, these include sewageand industrial effluent, urban runoff, atmospheric pollution, groundwater pollution, agricultural andmining run off from the catchment.

• The Tamar shows indications ofenvironmental degradation inseveral areas however thisconclusion is supported by verylimited information.

Water quality for the North Esk and StPatricks rivers appears to be ofreasonable quality. Water temperaturehas been measured at an Esk Water siteon the North Esk and the St PatricksRiver over 30 years and it has shownthat water temperature at ChimneySaddle on the North Esk has increasedby about 3.5°C over that time. Thetemperature increase may be related tolocal influences within the catchment.Environmental flows on the North Eskhave been modified which has had aneffect on the temperature of the water.

In the 19th Century tin smeltingoccurred on the lower North Esk River,this may have caused higher heavymetal contamination in this area.Although this has not been quantified.

The pH of Distillery Creek on the StPatricks River has decreased since thebeginning of records and this changemay be related to clearing anddeforestation within the catchment.Turbidity across the catchment isgenerally low, however during floodevents turbidity has effectively doubledbetween the Ford River and Ballroom

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(downstream of where Musselboroenters the North Esk), this increase inturbidity is most likely due to farmmanagement practices.9

Dissolved oxygen levels in the NorthEsk are relatively healthy with thelevels decreasing towards the bottom ofthe catchment. Nutrient studies haveshown an increase in the nutrient levelsat the lower end of the catchment asexpected but concentrations aregenerally low compared to otherTasmanian rivers.

2.3 Values and Resources of theTamar Estuary

The values and resources of the TamarEstuary were identified through theTamar 2020 project which undertookwide public consultation through adiscussion paper and workshops during1999 and 2000. The consultationidentified a range of values.

These were:

(a) Economic values:

The Tamar Estuary is valued foreconomic purposes. The resourcescontributing to those values are:

• The deep water port and industrialfacilities and the associatedtransport infrastructure andtransport industry.

• The tourism industry due to theviews and scenery, and the generalbeauty of the valley.

• The agricultural lands and theagricultural industry includingorchards and vineyards.

9 Second Progress Report on the NHT ‘State ofthe River’ project on the North Esk Catchments(1999).

• Real estate value which isdependent on the setting of theestuary.

(b) Social values: The Tamar Estuaryand Environs is highly valued socially.The resources contributing to thisinclude:

• The ability to live by the riverwhich is the focus of a lot ofcommunity activity, for examplethe Tamar River Festival.

• The importance of the waterway asthe "soul" of its communities. Theriver being the focus of allcommunities along it thereforemaking the Tamar a singlecommunity

• Sense of ownership that the Estuaryis "Our Estuary" i.e. belongs to thepeople of the region.

(c)Biophysical/Environmental values:Wide ranges of natural andenvironmental values were identified.These related to:

• Diversity of flora and fauna.

• Important fish breeding habitats,birdlife and other wildlife habitats.

• Areas of remnant vegetation.

• Unique geophysical and naturalsetting.

(d)Recreational Values: The Estuary ishighly valued for a range of recreationalactivities that include:

• Freedom to use the Estuary for arange of activities: boating, sailing,recreational fishing, water skiing, jetskiing.

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• Safe environment for children tofish, recreational access for smallboats and safe anchorage.

• Access to the Estuary is good andstructures at appropriate locationsalong the estuary are valued forbeing able to provide this.

• The ability to walk along most of theforeshore is a valued activity.

(e)Historical/Cultural values: Rangesof historical and cultural values wereidentified:

• Semaphore stations.

• Jetties and boatsheds, particularly theold ones which add to the culturalvalues and enhance the character ofthe Estuary.

• Importance of particular sites ofearly settlement such as SupplyRiver Mill, Low Head etc.

(f)Landscape Values: the scenery andsetting of the Tamar estuary is highlyvalued10.

2.4 Environmental issues

The Tamar Region Natural ResourceManagement Strategy 199911 identifiedfrom wide community consultation thatdeclining water quality is the highestpriority issue affecting the region.Declining water quality was consideredan issue in inland waters, wetlands,coastal, estuarine and marine

10 Tamar Estuary 2020. 1999. CommunityConsultation Report. Unpublished TasmanianDepartment of Primary Industries, Water andEnvironment Report.

11 Rowlands, C. 1999 Tamar Region NaturalResource Management Strategy. May 1999National Library of Australia Cataloguing inPublication

environments. Declining water qualityhas occurred through contaminationfrom a variety of sources includingindustry; historical discharges; domesticeffluent; storm water run off;agriculture, diffuse sources; expansionof urban areas; septic and sewage;forestry; oil spills, shipping and marinedebris.

The Tamar Region Natural ResourceManagement Strategy 1999 identifiedthe goal for declining water quality as "to maintain and improve water qualityfor the whole Region so water can beused, where appropriate, for catchingfish, swimming, wildlife, industry,agriculture and domestic use, givingpriority to the Gravelly Beach toGeorge Town reach of the TamarEstuary."

Adverse sedimentation impacts on theTamar Estuary and North Esk Riverwas also identified as a high priorityissue in the Tamar Region NaturalResource Management Strategy 1999.Siltation in the Tamar Estuary is ahighly complex issue and there aremany different hypotheses as to wherethe particles come from and how theymove within the system. The majorsediment deposits with the TamarEstuary are at Stephen's Bend, upstreamof Tamar Island, at Home Point and onthe inside bends of the Estuary at TailRace. The Tamar Estuary receivesinputs of sediments from the catchmentsof the South and North Esk Rivers, theMacquarie River and the MeanderRiver.

Rapid siltation in the Home Reachsection of the Tamar causes difficultieswith navigation and restrictsrecreational and tourism pursuits.Causes of the sedimentation have beenlinked to the clearance of land foragriculture and forestry operations inthe upper catchment. These practicescan disturb soils, resulting in theirwashing into water courses that are part

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of the Tamar's catchment. Sediment isreleased into water systems by stockaccessing streams and rivers,predisposing banks to erosion. Theanimals can disrupt the banks and beds,releasing particles, including soils andnutrients. The expansion anddevelopment of urban areas andassociated construction sites add to thenet sediment loads entering the TamarEstuary and its feeder rivulets andstreams. The Tamar Region NaturalResource Management Strategy goal toaddress sedimentation is: to define,stabilise and reduce the adversesedimentation and to identify futureopportunities for uses of the TamarEstuary and North Esk Rivers12.

The Tamar 202013 consultation processidentified environmental issues ofconcern in the Tamar Estuary. Theenvironmental issues identified were:

• Water quality is a concernparticularly in relation to: lack ofreticulated sewerage in developedresidential areas, problems withseptic tanks, stormwater run-off,industrial pollution and potential foroils spills.

• Weed and pest invasion such asgorse, rice grass and pacific oysters.

• Threats to remnant vegetation.

• Inappropriate removal of foreshorevegetation by residents

• Rubbish along roads

12 Rowlands, C. 1999 Tamar Region NaturalResource Management Strategy. May 1999National Library of Australia Cataloguing inPublication

13 Tamar Estuary 2020. 1999 CommunityConsultation Report Unpublished TasmanianDepartment of Primary Industries, Water andEnvironment.

• Continued silting of the river anddredging.

The Tamar coastal/estuarine ecosystemsplay a vital role as transition zones orbuffers between terrestrial and marineecosystems. Recent studies however,have all indicated that comprehensiveecological studies of the estuary arelacking. Pirzl & Coughanowr 14 statethat little information is available on theenvironmental status of seagrass bedsand wetlands which are vitalcomponents of the Tamar estuarinesystem.


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3 WATER QUALITY : THE STATE POLICY ON WATERQUALITY MANAGEMENT

3.1 Setting ProtectedEnvironmental Values

The first step in the implementation ofthe State Policy on Water QualityManagement 1997 is the identificationof Protected Environmental Values(PEVs) for the surface waters in yourregion. PEVs are the current valuesand uses of a water body for whichwater quality should be protected.These values and uses should be clearlyin evidence at the time of theimplementation of the Policy.

The Policy specifies a range of PEVswhich may be applied to a given waterbody. More than one PEV may beapplied to a water body. The PEVs are:A. Protection of Aquatic EcosystemsB. Recreational Water Quality and

AestheticsC. Raw Water for Drinking Water

SupplyD. Agricultural Water UseE. Industrial Water Supply

The Board of EnvironmentalManagement and Pollution Control willthen specify a range of Water QualityObjectives. These will be designed toensure the quality of water in that waterbody is maintained at a level which willallow the chosen PEVs to be protected.

The Policy also sets out a range ofstrategies which are aimed at ensuringthat waste water discharges from pointsources (such as industrial or sewagetreatment plant discharges) and diffusesources (such as runoff from highways,urban areas, farms, forest harvestingetc.) will not endanger the achievementof the Water Quality Objectives.

The Board and local planningauthorities will use these strategies inland use planning and approvalsprocesses, and in ongoing regulation, toensure that the PEVs for a given waterbody are maintained or enhanced overtime.

3.2 Protected EnvironmentalValues categories

The Policy lists a range of PEVs whichare used to describe the identifiedvalues and uses of a given water body.These are:

A: Protection of Aquatic Ecosystems

(i) Pristine or nearly pristineecosystems;

(ii) Modified (not pristine)ecosystems:

(a) from which edible fish, crustaceaand shellfish are harvested, or

(b) from which edible fish, crustaceaand shellfish are not harvested.

What does pristine mean?

"Pristine" means waters not subject tohuman interference through dischargesor other activities within the catchment(Australian Water Quality Guidelines1992).

B: Recreational Water Quality &Aesthetics

(i) Primary contact water quality

(ii) Secondary contact water quality

(iii) Aesthetics water quality

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‘Primary contact’ means recreationinvolving bodily immersion/submersion where there is direct contactwith water, & includes swimming,diving, surfing, water skiing.

‘Secondary contact’ means activitieswhere there is some direct watercontact, but it is unlikely that water willbe swallowed (e.g. paddling, boating,and fishing).

‘Aesthetics’ means visual appearance ofthe water, being free from oil, grease,floating debris, unnatural colour, algalblooms etc.

C: Raw Water for Drinking Supply

(ii) Subject to coarse screening anddisinfection.

Under the current Policy this PEVapplies to water used as the intakesource for public use (town watersupply, in other words) and toregistered private water supplies. It doesnot apply to the taking of water fromsurface waters by individuals for privateuse for the purposes of drinking etc.

The Director of Public Healthrecommends that raw water from anysurface waterbody should bedisinfected/boiled before use.

D: Agricultural Water Uses

(i) Irrigation

(ii) Stock watering

E: Industrial Water Supply

The actual industry type must bespecified in order to identifyappropriate guidelines.

3.3 Community Input

We asked the public to examine andprovide comment on some water qualityPEVs which the Board and regionalplanning authorities had suggested as astarting point and may be suitable forsurface waters of the region.

The community was asked if theyagreed with the suggested PEVs forwater quality, and why, or if theywished to propose other PEVs andwhy?

The community was asked thefollowing: To identify specific areas of the

rivers that may need different oradditional PEVs (traditional fishingareas, for example).

Are there rare or endangered speciesin specific locations which need tobe acknowledged?

Are there specific locations orstretches of river which needdifferent PEVs (traditionalswimming holes, for example)?

Are there existing values and usesunder threat from deterioratingwater quality.

The Board and the regional planningauthorities considered and took accountof all submissions before finalising thePEVs for these wetlands andwaterways.

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4 WATER QUALITY : PROTECTED ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES (PEVS)FOR THE TAMAR ESTUARY AND NORTH ESK CATCHMENTS

Between 2001 and 2005 the Board ofEnvironmental Management andPollution Control and regional planningauthorities set Protected EnvironmentalValues for the waterways that arelocated within the Tamar Estuary andNorth Esk Catchments as required bythe State Policy on Water QualityManagement 1997 (the Policy)

The public discussion paper – ProposedEnvironmental Management Goals forTasmanian Surface Waters: TamarEstuary and North Esk Catchments –was developed by the Department ofPrimary Industries, Water &Environment, local government andParks officers, and approved for releaseto stakeholders and the generalcommunity by the Board, the Parks &Wildlife Service and the relevant localgovernment authorities in mid 2001.This paper explained the Policy andhow the environmental values for waterquality (PEVs) are identified and used.

The Discussion Paper was circulatedamongst agencies and organisationshaving an interest in surface waters inthe region. The identified stakeholders(268 people) and community wereinvited to participate in regional watervalues workshops at Launceston(9/7/2001), Riverside (10/7/2001),Nunamara (11/7/2001), George Town(16/7/2001) and Beaconsfield(17/7/2001). The meetings wereadvertised inviting the general public tohave input into the PEV setting process.The meetings were advertised in theExaminer Public Notices (23/6/2001and 7/7/2001) and three mediainterviews were conducted (WINtelevision for the evening news(10/7/01), Examiner (6/7/01) and ABCRadio (9/7/01)). Across the 5 meetings

55 people participated in the process.These meetings were followed by anextended comment period until the endof July 2001. Information collectedfrom the meetings was compiled,amendments were made to the PEVsand discussion paper and they were sentback to all stakeholders and workshopattendees and comment was invited onthese changes until September 14.

Information collected duringcommunity consultation with regard towater quality was incorporated andreflected in the setting of the PEVs.Other Community Water Values shouldbe incorporated into the futuredevelopment of water management andcatchment management plans.

The major changes made to the PEVs asa result of the community consultationare as follows:

• Primary contact recreation(activities such as swimming) hasbeen applied to the entire length ofthe Tamar Estuary aside fromDeceitful Cove where it was feltthat although water quality wouldsupport primary contact recreationthe sediments would not.

• The following locations have beendesignated as primary contactrecreation areas (areas that arecommonly recognised as primarycontact recreation sites) for the nonestuarine areas occurring on oradjacent to private land: St PatricksRiver, North Esk at St Leonards,Dicksons Land, Distillery Creek,Diddleum Plains, Corralinn Bridge,Scout Island at Corralinn, MyrtlePark, Nunamara Bridge, LadyNelson Creek, Dilston Falls,

18

Waverley Dam, and York TownRivulet.

The primary contact value throughoutthe entire Tamar Estuary and the lowerNorth Esk was questioned by onestakeholder. Community feedback atthe meetings reflected that these areaswere used and valued for primarycontact recreation activities. All othercommunity water values raised duringthe public consultation phase are listedin Section 6 of this Paper.

Community Water Values should beincorporated into the futuredevelopment of water management andcatchment management plans.

The PEVs for the surface waters of theTamar Estuary and North EskCatchments are described in Table 2under land use categories.

The PEVs apply to all surface waterswithin each land tenure category, otherthan15:

• privately owned waters that are notaccessible to the public and are notconnected to, or flow directly into,waters that are accessible to thepublic; or

• waters in any tank, pipe or cistern.

“Privately owned waters” means anysurface waters confined within theboundary of privately owned land andwhich do not flow into, or do notcommunicate with:(a) the sea or arm or creek of the sea;

(b) a source of supply for a waterdistrict or irrigation water district;

(c) any river, stream, watercourse, lake,pond or marsh.

15 State Policy on Water Quality Management1997

Management of all surface waterswithin the catchment shall focus on theachievement of water qualityobjectives.

The water quality objectives will bedetermined by the Board ofEnvironmental Management andPollution Control in accordance withthe State Policy on Water QualityManagement 1997.

Achievement of these water qualityobjectives will maintain or enhance thewater quality of those surface waters toensure the protection of all of thefollowing values and uses applying toeach land use category. These valuesand uses are derived from the formalPEVs listed in Clause 7 of the Policy.

In general, diffuse source pollution canbe managed to protect the PEVs bycompliance with approved codes ofpractice, or by development andimplementation of best practiceenvironmental management guidelineswhere codes are not available.

In general, point source pollutionshould be managed to protect the PEVsby implementation of best practiceenvironmental management, and bycompliance with emission limits set bythe regulatory authority. This may alsorequire the setting of a mixing zone bythe Board of EnvironmentalManagement and Pollution Control. Forspecific details refer to Part 4 of theState Policy on Water Quality.

Protected Environmental Values reflectcurrent values and uses of a water bodybut do not necessarily imply that theexisting water quality will support thesevalues and uses.

20

Table 2: PEVs for the Tamar Estuary and North Esk Catchments

Land Tenure Protected Environmental Values (*see note on page 24)

Surface Watersflowing throughPrivate Land

(including forest onprivate land)


(ii) Protection of modified (not pristine) ecosystems

a. from which edible fish are harvested

B: Recreational Water Quality & Aesthetics

(i) Primary contact water quality ( St Patricks River, North Esk at StLeonards, Dicksons Land, Distillery Creek, Diddleum Plains, Corralinn Bridge,Scout Island at Corralinn, Myrtle Park, Nunamara Bridge, Lady Nelson Creek,Dilston Falls, Waverly Dam, York Town Rivulet)


(iii) Aesthetic water quality

C: Raw Water for Drinking Water Supply (Town water offtakes at Nunamara, DistilleryCreek and Watery Plains).

(ii) Subject to coarse screening plus disinfection

D: Agricultural Water Uses

(i) Irrigation

(ii) Stock watering

E: Industrial Water Supply (Fish farming – North Esk)

That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support a healthy, butmodified aquatic ecosystem from which edible fish may be harvested; that isacceptable for town drinking water at Nunamara, Distillery Creek and WateryPlains (subject to coarse screening plus disinfection); that is acceptable forirrigation and stock watering purposes; which will allow people to safelyengage in primary contact recreation activities such as swimming a St PatricksRiver, North Esk at St Leonards, Dicksons Land, Distillery Creek, DiddleumPlains, Corralinn, Myrtle Park, Nunamara Bridge, Lady Nelson Creek, DilstonFalls, Waverly Dam, York Town Rivulet and secondary contact recreationactivities such as paddling or fishing in aesthetically pleasing waters andwhich is suitable for fish farming on the North Esk at Corralinn.

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Surface Watersflowing throughForest Reservesfrom State Forest,Private Land orUnallocated CrownLand




having regard for the management objectives for forest reservesoutlined in Schedule 3 of the Forestry Act, 1920.


(i) Primary contact water quality (where permitted)



That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support a healthy, butmodified aquatic ecosystem from which edible fish may be harvested; andwhich will allow people to safely engage in recreation activities such asswimming (where permitted), paddling or fishing in aesthetically pleasingwaters.

Surface waters withtheir headwaterswithin ForestReserves.


(i) Protection of pristine or nearly pristine ecosystems

having regard for the management objectives for forest reservesoutlined in Schedule 3 of the Forestry Act, 1920.





That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support a pristine or nearpristine aquatic ecosystem, which will allow people to safely engage inrecreation activities such as swimming (where permitted), paddling or fishingin aesthetically pleasing waters.

22



Surface Waterflowing throughState Forest

(managed under theForestry Act 1920




having regard for the management objectives outlined in Schedule 3of the Forestry Act, 1920.





That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support a healthy, butmodified aquatic ecosystem from which edible fish may be harvested; andwhich will allow people to safely engage in recreation activities such asswimming (where permitted), paddling or fishing in aesthetically pleasingwaters.

Surface Watersflowing throughNational Parks,State Reserves,Nature Reserves orHistoric Sites fromPrivate Land, StateForest orUnallocated CrownLand




having regard for the management objectives for National Parks, StateReserves, Nature Reserves and Historic Sites as outlined in Schedule4 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1970.





That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support a modifiedecosystem from which edible fish may be harvested, and which will allowpeople to safely engage in recreation activities such as swimming (wherepermitted), paddling or fishing in aesthetically pleasing waters.

23



Surface Waters withtheir headwaterswithin NationalParks, StateReserves, NatureReserves orHistoric Sites.


(i) Protection of pristine or nearly pristine ecosystems

having regard for the management objectives for National Parks, StateReserves, Nature Reserves and Historic Sites as outlined in Schedule4 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1970.





That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support a pristine or nearlypristine ecosystem; and which will allow people to safely engage in recreationactivities such as swimming (where permitted), paddling or fishing inaesthetically pleasing waters.

Surface Watersflowing throughNature Recreation,Conservation,Game or RegionalReserves fromPrivate Land, StateForest orUnallocated CrownLand


(i) Protection of a modified (not pristine) ecosystem


having regard for the management objectives for nature recreationareas, conservation areas and regional reserves as outlined inSchedule 4 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1970





That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support a modifiedecosystem from which edible fish maybe harvested, and which will allowpeople to safely engage in recreation activities such as swimming (wherepermitted), paddling or fishing in aesthetically pleasing waters.

24



Surface Waters withtheir headwaterswithin NatureRecreation, GameConservation orRegional Reserves


(i) Protection of Pristine or nearly pristine ecosystems


having regard for the management objectives for nature recreationareas, conservation areas and regional reserves as outlined inSchedule 4 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1970.





That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support a pristine or nearpristine aquatic ecosystem; and which will allow people to safely engage inrecreation activities such as swimming (where permitted), paddling or fishingin aesthetically pleasing waters.

Surface watersflowing throughPublic Reservesunder the CrownLands Act 1976




having regard for the management objectives for public reservesoutlined in Schedule 4 of the Regional Forest Agreement (LandClassification) Act, 1998





That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support a modified, buthealthy aquatic ecosystem from which edible fish are harvested; which willallow people to safely engage in recreation activities such as swimming(where permitted), paddling or fishing in aesthetically pleasing waters.

25



Surface watersflowing through Un-allocated CrownLand








That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support modified, buthealthy aquatic ecosystems from which edible fish may be harvested; whichwill allow people to safely engage in recreation activities such as swimming(where permitted), paddling and fishing in aesthetically pleasing waters.

Surface watersflowing throughCommonwealthLand








That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support modified, buthealthy aquatic ecosystems from which edible fish may be harvested; whichwill allow people to safely engage in recreation activities such as swimming(where permitted), paddling and fishing in aesthetically pleasing waters.

26



Deceitful CoveWaters

(Requires Review)



b. from which edible fish, crustacea and shellfish are notharvested




That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support modified, buthealthy aquatic ecosystems from which edible fish, crustacea and shellfishmay not be harvested; which will allow people to safely engage in recreationactivities such as paddling and fishing in aesthetically pleasing waters.

Estuarine Waters

excluding DeceitfulCove



a. from which edible fish and crustacea are harvested but notshellfish except where permitted by Marine FarmingLicences under the Living Marine Resources ManagementAct 1995





E: Industrial Water Supply (Aquaculture in Marine Farming Zones and existing marinefarming licences issued pursuant to the Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995, GunnsLtd and Bell Bay Power Station)

That is, as a minimum, water quality management strategies should seek toprovide water of a physical and chemical nature to support modified, buthealthy aquatic ecosystems from which edible fish and crustacea may beharvested but not shellfish except where permitted by Marine FarmingLicences under the Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995; whichwill allow people to safely engage in recreation activities such as swimming(where permitted), paddling and fishing in aesthetically pleasing waters andwhich is suitable to support Aquaculture in Marine Farming Zones and existingmarine farming licences issued pursuant to the Living Marine ResourcesManagement Act 1995, Gunns Ltd sawmill operations and cooling in Bell BayPower Station.

* In general, diffuse source pollution can be managed to protect the PEVs by compliance with approved codes of practice, or by development andimplementation of best practice environmental management guidelines where codes are not available.In general, point source pollution should be managed to protect the PEVs by implementation of best practice environmental management, and bycompliance with emission limits set by the regulatory authority. This may also require the setting of a mixing zone by the Board of EnvironmentalManagement and Pollution Control.For specific details refer to Part 4 of the State Policy on Water Quality Management, 1997

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5 WATER QUANTITY VALUES FOR THE TAMAR ESTUARYAND NORTH ESK CATCHMENTS

5.1 Overview

While water quality is a very importantpart of any water management regime,the issue of how much water a river orstream carries, and how that flow ismanaged, is of equal importance. Waterquality and quantity are closely linked.

The State Government proposes to re-organise the way water flow in ourrivers and streams is managed, and oneof the key understandings is that thereneeds to be a specific allocation ofwater for the river or stream itself. Thisis necessary not only to protect theaquatic life of the river, but also tomaintain basic "river health". If there isinsufficient flow at crucial times of theyear, the overall quality of theremaining water may be badly affected.This will very likely have a negativeeffect on human uses of the water, aswell as on the environment.

In some instances there may becompeting uses for the availableresource, and there may need to betrade-offs needed to ensure a balancedsharing arrangement between humanuses and the needs of the riverenvironment.

The allocation of water for theenvironment must be based on scientificinformation, and also on legitimatecommunity values and uses.

5.2 Water quantity values

Five broad categories of water quantityvalues have been identified, and as withthe water quality PEVs, it is likely thatmost rivers will attract more than onevalue/use category. The categories are:

• Ecosystem values;

• Physical landscape values.• Consumptive and non-consumptive

use values;• Recreation values;• Aesthetic landscape values;The information obtained by gatheringwater management values fromstakeholders, community groups andgovernment agencies will be used whenwater management planning isundertaken for the catchment.

An appraisal of water quantity valueswill be undertaken in order to developwater management goals for thecatchment. This will be undertakenduring the water management planningprocess.

An explanation of the water quantityvalue categories and examples ofspecific values are given below:

Ecosystem values: The term is used toidentify those values which are to beprotected and / or enhanced in thecurrent state of aquatic and adjacentland ecosystems. Specific water valuesassociated with the ecosystem valuecategory may be:

• protection of an endangered species(plant or animal);

• protection or improvement in nativefish populations;

• protection of riverine vegetation;• provision of adequate water for

stream habitat for flora and fauna;• provision of water for wetland

and/or estuary ecosystems.Physical Landscape values: Thesevalues are closely related to the physicalnature of the catchment. This includes

29

the nature and constitution of channels,the frequency of floods and droughts,soil and rock types, and vegetationcoverage. These values are also closelyassociated with ecosystem function, andmay overlap with the protection ofecosystem values. Specific watervalues associated with physicallandscape values may include:

• provision of variable flows;• prevention of artificial erosion

whilst maintaining whereappropriate natural processes oferosion and deposition;

• protection or improvement ofriparian zone.

Consumptive and non-consumptive usevalues: These are related to the currentand potential human uses of waterbodies. Consumptive use refers to theextraction of water from the water body,with no return of it to the waterbody.Examples may include:

• provision of water for irrigation;• provision of water for town supply;• provision of water for industry.Non-consumptive use refers toextraction or use of water, where thewater is eventually returned to the river.Examples may include:

• use of water for hydro-electricitygeneration;

• use of water for fish farming.Recreational values: These include therange of direct human uses of waterbodies for purposes such as kayaking,canoeing, sailing, swimming, fishingetc. This type of value is difficult toquantify, but is an essential part of ourway of life in Tasmania. Water qualityissues are also important, especiallywhere primary contact occurs(swimming for example), or where therecreational activity relies on a base ofgood quality water, such as a

recreational fishery. Examples mayinclude:

• maintenance or improvement of thequantity (and quality) of water forrecreational fishery (trout, blackfishetc);

• provision of sufficient water forwhitewater rafting;

• provision of sufficient water (ofadequate quality) for swimming.

Aesthetic Landscape values: Thesevalues relate to human appreciation ofwater and adjacent environments. It isoften extremely difficult to addressthese types of values, or work out theflow requirements to ensure theirprotection. They are, however,legitimate values which must beacknowledged in any good managementprocess. Examples may include:

• maintenance or improvement offlow through gorges or overwaterfalls;

• protection of scenic features in ariver.

The Community Water values identifiedthrough the PEVs process can thereforebe considered when makingmanagement decisions for waterquality.

Community Water Values Tamar Estuary and North Esk Catchments 30

6. Community Water Values for the Tamar EstuaryTables 3 to 12 summarise the Community Water Values collected at a number ofmeetings in the Tamar Estuary and North Esk region. These values relate to bothwater quality and water quantity. The Community Water Values for the Estuary arelisted separately to those values collected for the freshwater creeks and rivers.

Table 3: Community Water Values for the Tamar Estuary and North Eskcollected at a public meeting held in Launceston on 9 July 2001 and from writtensubmissions

CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Freshwater, Launceston Meeting

CONSUMPTIVE/NONCONSUMPTIVE

• Maintain water quality suitable for drinking water supply atNunamara and St Patrick’s River.

• Maintain water quality suitable for Homestead use throughout thecatchment.

• Manage water quality and quantity so that it is suitable for irrigationand watering of stock.

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable for fish farming practiceson the St Patrick’s River and at Corralinn on the North Esk.

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable for irrigation of the ScotchOakburn recreational park.

• Maintain water quality to be suitable to irrigate the Launceston golfcourse out of Kings Meadows Rivulet.

RECREATIONAL/AESTHETIC

• Maintenance of water quality at a level that is suitable for swimmingat the following locations:

Campden River St Patrick’s River St Leonard’s Dickson’s Lands Myrtle Park Scout Island Waverley Dam Distillery Creek

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable for kayaking and canoeingon the North Esk between St Leonard’s and Ben Lomond and onthe St Patrick’s River.

• Maintain water quality to support rafting both commercial andrecreational on the North Esk.

• Maintain water quality at Scout Island for camping, swimming andpicnicking.

• Maintain Corralinn Bridge as a recreational area for walking, bikeriding, horse trails and dog walking.

• Maintain the water quality at a level suitable for recreational fishingat the following locations:

Campden River St Patrick’s River St Leonard’s River (Trout, Perch, Blackfish, Eels) Myrtle Park Distillery Creek Waverley Dam



• Maintain the aesthetic value of Corralinn Bridge and retain its litterfree status.

• Maintain the educational value of the freshwater streams.

• Maintain aesthetic qualities of the North Esk adjacent to roadcrossings.

• Maintain aesthetic values of the King Meadows Rivulet for walkingand bike riding.

• Maintain Patersonia Rivulet water quality so it is suitable to supportfishing and so its aesthetic values are maintained.

• Maintain the Scotch Oakburn recreational grounds as they act as adetention basin for stormwater.

Tidal Area of North Esk (up to St Leonard’s)

• Maintenance of water quality and quantity to support rowing.

• Maintenance of water quality suitable to support canoeing andkayaking in the North Esk up to Hoblers Bridge and betweenHoblers Bridge and St Leonard’s when willows do not obstruct thepath.

• Maintain riverine walkways around St Leonard’s for dog walking.

ECOSYSTEM /BASIC RIVERHEALTH

• Maintain water quality suitable to support the following species:trout, blackfish, perch, galaxiids, lampreys, eels, burrowing crayfishand other engeus species.

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable to support platypuspopulations.

• Maintain water quality and quantity at a level suitable to maintainmacroinvertebrate species and benthic plant communities.

• Maintain in stream woody debris as it is important habitat forinvertebrate species.

• Maintain habitat which is suitable to support sea eagles

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable to support the green andgold frog.

• Maintain fish passages in the Rivers.

• Maintain areas that are free of the mainland introduced yabbies.

• Maintain riparian reserves and riparian vegetation particularly thoseareas that are free of weeds (blackberry, willow, gorse, ragwort).

• Maintain areas free of willow particularly in the lower North Esk dueto potential flooding problems.

• Maintain streams or sections of the North Esk that are low inturbidity.

• Maintain waters free of algal blooms.

• Maintain current in stream dissolved oxygen content.

• Manage the artificial introduction of nutrients to waterways due totheir potential impacts on waterway diversity.

• Maintain buffer zones around streams to protect water quality.



• Maintain riparian vegetation to stabilise soil and reduce sedimentinputs to streams.

• Maintain waterways free of debris for safety whilst maintainingenough debris as habitat for water species.

• Maintain areas where stock access to waterways is restricted.

• Maintain environmental flows and manage the impact of storagedams on stream flows.

• Manage water storages to allow environmental flows as well asallowing controlled flooding events for flushing andspawning/migration triggers.

• Maintain areas free of salinity particularly the West Tamar andKings Meadows catchments.

Tidal Area of North Esk (up to St Leonard’s)• Maintain the water quality and quantity to sustain wetlands and the

bird life sanctuary.

• Manage the occurrence of siltation adjacent to road crossings.

• Maintain water quality at a level to continue supporting visitingocean species such as seals.

OTHER ISSUES • Continue to manage sewage, stormwater and potential tip siterunoff from impacting on waterways.

• Maintain the heritage values of Glebe Farm and Gunn PowderMills.

• Environmental flows should be ensured on all waterways and thereshould really be more enforcement.

• Maintain summer water yields at or above historical levels at themain water supply intakes at Watery Plains and Nunamara byappropriate agricultural and forestry cropping cycles.


Table 4: Community Water Values for the Tamar Estuary and North Eskcollected at a public meeting held in Launceston on 9 July 2001 and from writtensubmissions

Categories Community Water Values – Estuary, Launceston Meeting

CONSUMPTIVE/NON CONSUMPTIVE

• Maintain water quantity and quality suitable for Bell Bay Power Stationfor cooling water (water is extracted from the estuary and returned toDollivans Bay).

• Maintain water quality which is suitable for Longreach woodchip mills.

• Maintain water quality and quantity to support abalone, sea horse andsalmon farming.


• Maintain water quality at a level suitable to support swimming at thefollowing locations:

Kings Bridge

Gravelly Beach to Low Head

• Maintenance of water quality at a level suitable to support sailing,rowing, personal water craft use (eg jet ski), water skiing, sailboarding, boating and kayaking.

• Maintain water of a quality suitable for personal water craft use (eg jetskiing) from Kings Bridge to the Estuary mouth.

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable for diving throughout theentire estuary. Police divers have to dive throughout the estuarylength.

• Maintain water quality at a level to support fishing throughout theestuary.

• Maintain scenic vista of the estuary for its tourism value and for rivercruises.

• Maintain aesthetic of the estuary for walking.

• Maintain public accessibility to the estuary.

• Maintain aesthetic values of Williams Creek and Long Reach.

• Maintenance of aesthetics of the area for the tourist value of the wineroute.

• Maintain existing wharves and jetties for their recreational value.

• Maintain current dredging regimes to ensure that current recreationactivities can be sustained.

• Maintain tourist value of historic ship wrecks, however some peopledo not value the pollution and the devalued aesthetics of theCodswald ship wreck.


• Maintain the diversity of the Tamar system.

• Maintain water quality to support the southern tiger shark and theelephant shark in the shark nursery areas of the Tamar.

• Maintain habitat suitable to support penguin populations.

• Maintain the wildlife reserves along the Tamar.

• Maintain water quality at a level to support flounder, a bottom dwellingfish.

• Maintain water quality t support snapper and Kingfish fisheries.Kingfish occur north of Batman’s Bridge and Snapper from Rosevears


Categories Community Water Values – Estuary, Launceston Meeting

downstream.

• Maintain riparian vegetation and water quality to support the local seaeagles.

• Maintain water quality to support black swan species at Swan Point.

• Maintain the riparian reserves alongside the east side of the Tamarand at Longreach.

• Maintain the values of the estuarine wetlands.

• Maintain rice grass for its sediment holding capacity.

• Maintain the ecosystem values of the embayments that occur duringlow tide.

• Maintain and control the presence of marine pests in the estuary andprevent new pests entering from ballast water.

• Maintain the estuary for its educational value and maintain theeducational facilities that occur along the river.

• Maintain a high quality level for stormwater and septic tankdischarges.

OTHER ISSUES • Manage existing industrial discharges and potential discharges fromwineries into the estuary.

• Manage the impacts of forestry on water yields within the catchment,particularly the impacts of cloud seeding on agricultural practices.

• Maintain and manage combined stormwater/sewage systemoverflows.

• Maintain and enhance management of tip sites to reduce runoffentering the estuary.

• Manage fish farming and abalone farming wastes so they do notimpact on the estuary.

• Manage the potential for oil spills and TBT impacts on the estuary.

• Industrial heritage waterfronts should be maintained whilst theirimpacts on water quality should be minimised ie yacht clubs, boatyards, maritime transport infrastructure.

• Maintain shipping access to the Estuary particularly cruise ships andthe Devil Cat.

• Oysters in the estuary are inedible due to metal contamination.

• Bell Bay is valued as a major industrial area. It would be more highlyvalued if more industry goes into the area but the environmentalimpacts need to be carefully managed.

• Speedboats are causing foreshore erosion in the Swan Point - PaperBeach area, this needs to be managed by implementing speedrestrictions.

• The middle arm section of the Tamar is badly contaminated form 20th

Century gold extraction.


Table 5: Community Water Values for the Tamar Estuary and North Esk collectedat a public meeting held in Riverside on 10 July 2001 and from writtensubmissions

CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Freshwater, Riverside Meeting


• Maintain water quality at a level suitable to support swimming at ScoutIsland and St Leonard’s.

• Maintain water quality and quantity to support rowing and surf boatingactivities on the North Esk up to Hoblers Bridge.

• Maintain water quality that is suitable to support swimming in YorkTown Rivulet.

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable for children to paddle in allwaterways.

• Maintain water quality at Grindelwald dam that is suitable for paddlingand other secondary contact activities.

• Maintain water quality that is suitable for fishing throughout the entireNorth Esk.

• Maintain water quality that is suitable for fishing in York Town Rivulet.

• Maintain the aesthetic value of the Old Flower Mill on the SupplyRiver.

• Maintain the aesthetic value of the waterfall on Stony Creek.


• Maintain riparian vegetation and green corridors particularly betweenTrevallyn dam and Corralinn.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support waterfowl.

• Maintain water quality on the Supply River to support healthy troutpopulations.

• Maintain water quality in York Town Rivulet to support fish species.

• Maintain regions of the waterways that are free of rats.

• Maintain the quality of creeks and streams for their current and futureeducational values.

• Manage the impacts of sewage treatment plants on the waterways.

• Manage potential impacts of farming activities on waterways.

• Manage impacts of any tip runoff into Stony Creek.

• Maintain and enhance the quality of stormwater runoff enteringwaterways.

• Ensure the quality of any onsite septic system is high to preventadverse effects on waterways.

OTHER ISSUES • Maintain the historic value of the Gunn Battery on Cormiston Creek.


Table 6: Community Water Values for the Tamar Estuary and North Eskcollected at a public meeting held in Riverside on 10 July 2001 and from writtensubmissions

CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Estuary, Riverside Meeting


• Maintain water quality at a level suitable for use by the seahorseindustry and abalone farming industry.

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable for fish and abaloneprocessing at Beauty Point.

• Maintain water quality so that it is suitable for cooling in the Bell BayPower Station.


• Maintain water quality at a level to support swimming throughout theentire estuary but specifically at the following locations:

Paper Beach Gravelly Beach Kelso Bonnie Beach Swan Point Beauty Point Sandy Beach Deviot

• Maintain water quality suitable for swimming at the diving pontoons atGravelly Beach, Sandy Beach and Deviot (diving from these pontoonsis not a permitted use).

• Maintain water quality at a level which is suitable for rowing, sailing,skiing, boating, canoeing, sea kayaking, surf skiing, jet skiing andmalabo boarding.

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable for fishing to occurthroughout the entire estuary and from wharves.

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable to support fishing from BlackBridge to the North Esk.

• Maintain the fitness trail along the Tamar Estuary. This trail is morehighly valued when dogs are not using the area.

• Maintain the aesthetics of the whole estuary for its sense of place andtourism values.


• Maintain water quality and quantity to support sea grass beds(Gravelly Beach). No seagrass beds occur south of Batmans Bridge.

• Maintain water quality at a level suitable to maintain the many fishspecies in the estuary.

• Maintain water quality and habitat to support bird life particularlycranes, cormorants, wetland birds, swans, ducks and sea eagles.

• Maintain all natural beaches in their current state.

• Maintain water quality that is suitable to support native oysters,particularly the large deep water oyster.

• Maintain areas free of rice grass and pacific oysters.

OTHER ISSUES • Manage the amount of marine farming on the estuary as the aestheticand tourism values are greater.

• Maintain and manage the aesthetics of the wood chip mills and theirimpacts on the estuary.


Table 7: Community Water Values for the Tamar Estuary and North Eskcollected at a public meeting held in Nunamara on 12 July 2001 and from writtensubmissions

CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Freshwater, Nunamara Meeting


• Maintain water quality at a level that will support trout farming at MyrtleBank.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable for Homestead useincluding drinking.

• Maintain water quality that suitable for drinking water supply for Eskwater at its offtakes.


• Maintain water at a level that is suitable for swimming at the followinglocations:

Myrtle Park Corralinn St Leonard’s picnic ground Diddleum Plains Nunamara Bridge Swimming adjacent to all properties

• Maintain water quality that is suitable for canoeing and boating on theSt Patrick’s River and North Esk.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable for fishing at: Patersonia Rivulet Diddleum St Patrick’s River North Esk

• Maintain water quality and aesthetics at Mt Barrow Reserve, MyrtlePark and Nunamara Bridge for picnicking.

• Maintain Scott's property for its use as a recreational area.

• Maintain aesthetics of Mt Barrow and the Myrtle forest.

• Maintain the following renowned walking areas: Mt Scott, Mt Barrowand Mt Arthur.

• Maintain recreational values of horse riding and trail bike riding fromMyrtle Park to Nabowla.

• Maintain ability to rock climb on the North Esk at Corralinn.

• Maintain the aesthetics of the streams and rivers particularly theskyline vista.


• Maintain native diversity in its entirety throughout the catchment atleast at current levels so no loss of environmental diversity occurs.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to sustain platypuspopulations.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support trout andeel populations.

• Maintain water quality and habitat suitable to sustain the Scottsdaleburrowing crayfish and Mt Arthur burrowing crayfish.

• Maintain riparian vegetation which is free of environmental weedssuch as willow, gorse and blackberries.

• Maintain water quality to support threatened species such as the


CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Freshwater, Nunamara Meeting

native water cress and native hemp (hempgynatrix).

• Maintain healthy riparian vegetation and maintain the refugia thatexists for rare species.

• Maintain environmental flows in the North Esk and ensure that there isno reduction in current water quality or quantity values.

• Maintain water low in turbidity.

• Maintain and manage plantation forestry in the upper catchments atcurrent levels.

OTHER ISSUES • General concern about the impacts of plantation forestry on waterquality and water quantity on the North Esk.

• For future catchment uses the precautionary approach should beimplemented.


Table 8: Community Water Values for the Tamar Estuary and North Eskcollected at a public meeting held in Nunamara on 11 July 2001 and from writtensubmissions

CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Estuary, Nunamara Meeting


• Maintain water quality of a suitable quality to support cooling in theBell Bay Power Station.


• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable for swimming fromWindermere Jetty to the Estuary mouth. Swimming generally ceasesat the Gorge Bridge.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable for scuba diving andsnorkelling at the following locations:

Inspection Head Western Arm Shagg Rock Pilot Station Garden Island Middle Island

• Maintain water quality so that sailing, water skiing, personal watercraft use (e.g jet skiing), windsurfing and rowing are possiblethroughout the estuary.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable for fishing throughoutthe entire estuary.

• Maintain aesthetics of camping sites and picnic areas at the followinglocations:

Paper Beach Swan Point Abestos Range Kelso Clarence Point Batmans Bridge Redbill Point Western Arm Hillwood Bronte Beach Gravelly Beach Swan Bay Lagoon Bay

• Maintain aesthetics and general scenic value of the entire estuary.

• Maintain the aesthetic values of the area particularly areas where thewine route passes.

• Maintain the Tamar Valley lifestyle of hobby farming.

• Maintain the educational values that the estuary presents.

• Maintain water quality to support bird species for bird watching.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is safe to allow for bushwalking.


• Maintain water quality at a level to support the wetlands and theTamar Island Interpretation Area.

• Maintain water quality at Rosevears to sustain the water bird haven.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to maintain the currentlevel of species diversity.

• Maintain current weed management regimes to ensure the Tamar’sappeal is not lost.


CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Estuary, Nunamara Meeting

• Maintain water quality and quantity to support the threatened forestand heath communities.

• Manage aquatic pests to ensure the ecosystem diversity is maintainedat current levels.

• Maintain and improve current controls over ship ballast water toensure no further threatening pest species are introduced to theTamar.

• Maintain and reduce the levels of sewage and sediment inputs to theestuary.

OTHER ISSUES • Maintain appropriate ship maintenance practices along the riversedge so no species diversity is lost.

• Maintain water quality around the port by implementing ship wastepumpout facilities.

• The Codswald ship should be removed from the estuary due to theongoing leaching of pollutants from this ship.

• Reduce air pollution in the Tamar Valley as it can impact on the waterquality in the Tamar.


Table 9: Community Water Values for the Tamar Estuary and North Eskcollected at a public meeting held in George Town on 16 July 2001 and fromwritten submissions

CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Freshwater, George Town Meeting


• Maintain water quality at Lady Nelson Creek and Dilston Falls tosupport swimming.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable for fishing and tomaintain the aesthetic values of Egg Island Creek, Williams Creekand 14 Mile Creek.

• Maintain water quality at a level which will support fishing on theSupply River.

• Maintain water quality at the Western Arm to support recreationalactivities such as walking, swimming, picnicking.

• Maintain the historic significance of the Supply River and WesternArm.


• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support MountainTrout.

• Maintain the current water quality in the streams in order to protect theexisting ecosystems.

• Maintain a high quality of stormwater at George Town Cove to reduceimpacts when discharged to York Rivulet.

OTHER ISSUES • Most streams flowing into the Tamar are intermittent and inaccessibleby the public


Table 10: Community Water Values for the Tamar Estuary and North Eskcollected at a public meeting held in George Town on 16 July 2001 and fromwritten submissions

CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Estuary, George Town Meeting


• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support land basedfish farming.

• Maintain water quality at a level to support the sea horse farmingenterprise.

• Maintain water quality that is suitable for use at Bell Bay Power Stationfor cooling.


• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support swimmingat the following locations:

Homereach Freshwater Point Dilston Rosevears Swimming throughout the entire estuary Swimming does not occur in Deceitful Cove due to

sediment contamination. The water quality is fine but the sedimentsare not.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable for recreational divingfrom the Estuary mouth to Bell Bay.

• Maintain water quality that is suitable to support boating, water skiing,canoeing and jet skiing throughout the estuary.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support recreationalfishing throughout the estuary.

• Maintain water quality in the estuary to support tourist events such asthe 3 Peaks Race, fishing competitions and the Tamar River Festival.

• Maintain the aesthetic appeal of the estuary.

• Maintain the aesthetics and appeal of living near the estuary and theassociated property prices.


• Maintain ricegrass for its aesthetics and sediment binding capacity.

• Maintain areas currently free of ricegrass particularly at somerecreational sites such as Gravelly Beach.

• Maintain water quality to support the many fish species occurring inthe estuary.

• Maintain water quality at a level to support viable seal and penguinpopulations.

• Maintain water quality to support shark breeding in the shark nurseryarea.

• Maintain salmon and snapper fish species as well as other ediblespecies in the estuary for the purposes of fishing.

• Maintain areas that are free of oysters and move towards theireradication.

• Minimise the impacts of ballast water on the estuary as the Tamar isfairly free of ballast pests.

• Minimise illegal dumping in the estuary and the impacts it has onbiodiversity.

• Control fish farming and ensure it is maintained in areas that will not


CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Estuary, George Town Meeting

have detrimental impacts on current biodiversity levels.

OTHER ISSUES • Maintain the commercial shipping channel in the Estuary.


Table 11: Community Water Values for the Tamar Estuary and North Eskcollected at a public meeting held in Beaconsfield on 17 July 2001 and from writtensubmissions

CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Freshwater, Beaconsfield Meeting


• Maintain water quality so that irrigation can occur out of the SupplyRiver

• Maintain water quality that is suitable for drinking water supply on theNorth Esk

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support homesteaduse.


• Maintain water quality in the Supply River for recreational fishing.

• Maintain water quality in Curries Creek Dam to support boating andfishing activities.

• Maintain water quality that is suitable for walking at Notelly Fern Gorgeand Holwell Gorge.

• Maintain aesthetics for walking along the rivers edge of the SupplyRiver.

• Maintain the aesthetic quality of the headwaters of the Tamar byprotecting the tree line and hills.

• Maintain environmental flows in the Supply River. Flows are low in thesummer and there is not enough water for swimming.


• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support platypuspopulations.

• Maintain water quality in the Supply River to support waterbirds.

• Maintain platypus species and snake species in Barnard’s Creek.

• Maintain current levels of species diversity both in the streams and inthe riparian zone.

• Maintain water quality to support bird species such as waterfowl andsea eagles.

• Maintain water quality in streams to support the entire food chain aseach part of the food chain is integral to the rest.

• Maintain water quality in streams as they act as breeding grounds foraquatic life such as whitebait.

• Maintain riparian vegetation that is free of willows, blackberries andragworts.

• Maintain environmental flows in all urban streams.

• Maintain the current high level of water quality that exists in theSupply River.

• Maintain low chemical levels in urban streams.

• Manage and maintain high quality runoff into streams.

• Maintain existing stream fencing and encourage further fencing ofstreams to protect them from any further degradation.

• Maintain water quality of the streams so it does not affect theunderground water in the Beaconsfield area.

OTHER ISSUES • Maintain the balance of natural resources of the Tamar Valley whilst


CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Freshwater, Beaconsfield Meeting

maintaining future development.

• Most of the streams feeding the Tamar dry up during the Summermonths. 12-13 catchments occur in the west Tamar areas and theSupply River is the largest followed by Stoney Brook.


Table 12: Community Water Values for the Tamar Estuary and North Eskcollected at a public meeting held in Beaconsfield on 17 July 2001 and from writtensubmissions

CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Estuary, Beaconsfield Meeting


• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable for use in the seahorse, salmon and abalone farming operations.


• Maintain water quality at a level that will support swimming at thefollowing locations:

Clarence Point Beauty Point Gravelly Beach No swimming at Launceston Swimming off Estuary pontoons (this is not a permitted use)

• Maintain water quality at a level to support diving at the Estuary head.

• Maintain water quality at a level which will support sailing, water skiingand personal water craft use (e.g jet skiing).

• Maintain water quality from Beauty Point to the mouth of the estuaryfor sailing.

• Maintain water quality at Rosevears that is suitable for motor boatracing.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable for picnicking at thefollowing locations:

Hillwood Egg Island Point Tamar Island Reserve Supply Mill Reserve Paper Beach Walk Bonnie Beach There are many picnic areas dotted along the estuary.

• Maintain water quality for use by the Maritime College.

• Maintain the aesthetics of the estuary for painting and photography.

• Maintain the aesthetics of the estuary for its tourism potential ie theTamar vista.


• Maintain water quality at low head to support the Penguin rookeries.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support water birds.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support visiting sealpopulations.

• Maintain water quality to support pelican, sea eagle and swanpopulations.

• Maintain water quality around Tamar Island to support the wetlandspecies.

• Maintain water quality at a level that is suitable to support andmaintain the shark nursery area of the Tamar.

• Maintain water quality to support and maintain the sea horse nurserywhich occurs near the sea horse farm.

• Maintain water quality at a level to support a healthy ecosystem at alllevels.

• Maintain areas that are currently free of pacific oysters.


CATEGORIES Community Water Values – Estuary, Beaconsfield Meeting

• Maintain areas free of ballast water pests and prevent any further pestintroductions.

• Maintain areas of native vegetation.

• Maintain high quality sewage discharges to the estuary.

OTHER ISSUES • Question whether the Tamar Estuary can sustain commercial fisheryoperations and perhaps it should be limited to recreational fishing withtight controls in place

• Maintain the Tamar charm as a working river ie boats coming in andgoing out of the estuary

• Maintain the assets of the river due to its shipping as it is important tothe economy

• Maintain and control the ship maintenance industry and the impactsthey have on water

• Maintain historic values of the estuary

• Maintain shack, boat sheds and jetties along the estuary so they donot adversely impact on water quality

paper 1 · 2011. 8. 18. · title: paper_1 author: tasmanian government created date: 6/8/2006...

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