Border Rivers (NSW)
Water Quality and River Flow Objectives for the catchment
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At a Glance |
This section gives the Water Quality Objectives (WQOs) and the River Flow Objectives (RFOs) for the Border Rivers catchment, which should be used to develop plans and actions affecting water quality and river health. Only the priority RFOs are listed in this section, but the remaining objectives still need to be considered when developing flow management plans or dealing with particular local river conditions.
Town water supply subcatchments
Streams within these subcatchments typically feed into a town water supply storage. In some cases the catchment may be declared as specially protected to minimise the land use impacts on water quality.
Map: This category applies to streams running through areas coloured light blue on the map:
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
Supporting information
- This category includes Tenterfield Creek Dam catchment and Beardy Waters Dam catchment near Glen Innes.
- Raw water sourced from the above catchments will need to be of high enough quality for available treatment to be effective in the long term. Existing land management programs aimed at maintaining or improving the drinking water catchments should continue and be reviewed. Work done by Glen Innes Severn shire on blue-green algal blooms in Beardy Waters and the Severn River is an example of this work. It includes efforts to reduce erosion in the catchments, the frequency of algal blooms in the dams, and other pollutant sources that reduce drinking water quality.
- All parts of large river systems cannot be protected from human activities that degrade drinking water quality. See Uncontrolled streams and other river categories below for objectives that should apply to surface and groundwater drinking-water offtakes in the catchment.
- Local factors to be considered include maintaining natural flows from springs (groundwater), the effects of land management on volumes and times of runoff, particularly in droughts, the flow needs of ecosystems and people within the area and downstream, and the reliability of town supplies.
- Protection of freshes and high flows does not currently require action but is essential for town water reliability and ecosystems. Minimising any adverse effects of weirs should continue.
Mainly forested areas
Streams in mainly forested areas are often valued for their conservation or recreational values. They usually have relatively natural flows and water quality. Many are in national parks or state forests. Other forests are generally in the upper areas of the catchments.
Map: This category applies to state forests, national parks and nature reserves coloured green on the map. It also applies to other forested areas, if any are defined locally.
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
Supporting information
- Where the whole catchment of a stream is naturally vegetated, WQOs and RFOs are generally, though not always, achieved. High level protection should be given to flows and water quality in these least affected streams and other streams with high conservation values. Existing management practices in national parks or other reserves may already aim to achieve this. In some streams, local circumstances restrict achievement of objectives; for example, cattle using streams in state forests may conflict with achieving water quality suitable for swimming.
- Some streams flowing from disturbed vegetation, plantations or regrowth may meet all WQOs and RFOs, but streams below or within recently disturbed sites may have increased turbidity and downstream sedimentation. Extensive areas of rapidly growing trees may reduce low flows in adjoining streams. Thick groundcover may absorb storm peaks and increase the duration of some flows.
- Some of the state forests and other reserves marked on the map include streams that start in largely cleared land. The water quality and flow patterns through these forests generally reflect any upstream impacts. There may be a high public expectation for good water quality due to the public accessibility of these areas, particularly for recreation.
- Waters flowing out of naturally vegetated areas, including private forests, can provide clean water for use downstream by homesteads or livestock. These downstream benefits may be defined locally for specific protection.
- Vegetation on stream banks and floodplains can provide good habitats for native fish, other animals and plants. The effective value of these habitats is likely to be limited if the water quality is inadequate or if flow patterns are not sufficiently close to natural to provide correct cues for breeding and enable survival of the young. Returning water quality and flow patterns as closely as possible to natural is therefore desirable.
- The Aboriginal community has identified the consumption of raw aquatic foods as an existing use within the catchment. NSW Health recommends against the consumption of raw shellfish harvested on a non-commercial basis and local communities should be made aware of the risks involved.
- If the catchment management authorities or local governments consider that there are streams outside reserves, with high conservation value and to which a high level of protection should apply, they may seek local views and make recommendations to the Government.
Waterways affected by urban development
Waterways within urban areas are often substantially modified and generally carry poor quality stormwater. Local communities are often keen to see these waterways returned to more natural conditions.
Map: These areas are shown as orange dots on the map.
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
Supporting information
- This category includes creeks and minor waterways within Glen Innes, Tenterfield and Inverell.
- In some urban waterways aquatic ecosystems are considerably modified. A return to pristine aquatic ecosystems in these areas is unlikely and impractical; however, water quality conditions for existing ecosystems can be improved greatly for the benefit of local species and broader catchment health. Data from other local aquatic ecosystems of similar type, in areas that are not urbanised, may provide achievable criteria for these modified aquatic ecosystems.
- Action is needed to reduce the surface and groundwater quality impacts from stormwater, sewerage discharges and unsewered villages.
- Local councils have produced stormwater management plans for urban centres with populations above 1000 people.
- The tendency for urban developments to cause rapid rises in storm runoff should be minimised.
- See supporting information under Uncontrolled streams.
Uncontrolled streams
This catgeory covers uncontrolled waterways that are not in the other categories. Their flow patterns are largely natural but may have been partially altered. Flows can occur in these streams from local runoff. They are typically ephemeral (flow only during floods and freshes). Frequently, they open into or flow past wetlands and billabongs.
Map: Uncontrolled streams are shown as blue lines on the map.
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
Supporting information
- This category includes unregulated effluent creeks (for example, effluent streams in the western parts of the catchment, including Whalan Creek and the Boobera and Morella Watercourse), which are common on the western plains where high flows in the main rivers flow away from the river in natural channels.
- Water drawn from the river or groundwater, at the point of supply, must be of sufficient quality for the available level of treatment to be effective in the long term. Towns on uncontrolled streams that extract water from streams or bores for drinking water include Deepwater and Garah. Delungra and Inverell draw drinking water supplies from Copeton Dam (in the Gwydir River catchment).
- In some areas (for example, around Inverell), where there are more intensive industries and rural residential developments, the water quality in streams can be poor. Primary contact recreation objectives are not currently being achieved at some locations. High bacterial levels have been found downstream of major urban centres.
- Sedimentation and nutrients are major water quality issues in most streams in the Border Rivers. Agricultural chemicals (for example, pesticides) have been commonly detected in some rivers, especially downstream of irrigated cotton and some broadacre crops.
- There is localised contamination of some streams in older mining areas; for example, near Emmaville.
- There are a number of local factors to consider in sharing river flows in dry seasons and protecting inundation patterns of flood-dependent ecosystems, including:
- strong demand for low flows from some streams; for example, Beardy Waters, Tenterfield Creek and the Macintyre River
- higher flows are sometimes reduced in some streams; for example, effluent in creeks in western parts of the catchment
- identified conservation values; for example, native fish
- environmental worth and natural inundation patterns of small wetlands, river red gums, and other riparian or floodplain vegetation; for example, effluent creeks.
- Managing groundwater could affect some stream flows or ecosystems in parts of the upper catchment and this should be managed on a case by case basis. Watertables could rise and threaten ecosystems and agricultural production values in some areas.
- RFO Minimise effects of weirs and other structures is an important issue throughout the Border Rivers catchment. Local factors include the wish to restore native fish populations; and preventing sediment filling natural waterholes, which causes increased dependence on weirs to secure stock and domestic water supply.
Major regulated rivers
These rivers have large dams supplying irrigation water (and some town and industrial water) for substantial distances downstream. Flows are typically supplemented by releases from dams during the irrigation season resulting in fairly stable and unnaturally high water levels. River flow is substantially reduced during the non- or low-irrigation seasons. At any time of year in periods which would normally have high or very high flow, flows may be substantially reduced by the trapping of water in a large dam.
Map: These rivers are shown as yellow lines on the map.
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
No RFOs are recommended as river flow management is being planned through interstate processes.
Supporting Information
- The NSW-Queensland border is the middle of the Dumaresq, lower Macintyre and upper Barwon rivers from the western end of Tenterfield Creek to Mungindi. The NSW and Queensland governments therefore liaise and work together in relation to many aspects of managing these rivers. River management is subject to interstate agreements and processes
- While this category applies to the NSW parts of the Severn, Macintyre and Barwon rivers from Pindari Dam to near Mungindi and the Dumaresq River below Mole River, the NSW Government recognises that objectives should meet the needs of people and ecosystems on both sides of the rivers.
- The above Water Quality Objectives are recommended for discussion with Queensland. Achievement of objectives for these streams will depend on continued cooperative efforts of governments and the community in NSW and Queensland.
- In February 2004, a Statement of Principles for an Intergovernmental Agreement between New South Wales and Queensland was agreed to by the Border Catchments Ministerial Forum. This Intergovernmental Agreement will replace existing water sharing arrangements and will include environmental provisions and objectives. The agreement will also reflects current CoAG water reforms, MDBC agreements and national water arrangements.
Both states will give effect to these principles through their individual water resource plans (Water Sharing Plans in New South Wales and Water Resource Plans in Queensland). NSW has not determined environmental objectives for the Border Rivers – only for tributary streams entirely within NSW.
- Drinking water drawn from the river or groundwater must be of sufficient quality at the point of supply for the available level of treatment to be effective in the long term. Towns on the major regulated rivers that extract drinking water from rivers or bores include Ashford, Boggabilla and Mungindi (rivers) and Toomelah and Yetman (bores).
- Where there are more intensive agricultural industries and rural residential developments, the water quality in streams is often poor.
- Human sources of bacteria, such as sewerage and septic systems, as well as animal sources of bacteria were identified, pointing to problems throughout the catchment. Monitoring data from similar western streams in north-west NSW suggest that it is possible for the water quality in these rivers to sometimes fail the criteria for primary contact recreation.
- Pesticides have been commonly detected in these rivers, especially downstream of cotton irrigation areas.
- Releases from Pindari Dam should continue to be managed to maximise water quality.
- The DNR's project, Integrated Monitoring of Environmental Flows, incorporates important indicators of water quality and river health that can be improved with flow management. At this stage, this program is being conducted in regulated streams in other NSW catchments.
- Regulated rivers and adjoining alluvial aquifers need to be managed together. Groundwater levels may affect ecosystems. Action is needed to maintain groundwater within levels critical to ecosystems, protect stream flows and address other local concerns such as the reliability of bore water supplies for stock.
Controlled rivers with reduced flows
This category covers two situations:
1) River reaches downstream of the regulated sections, where the water is extracted or diverted This results in reduced flow throughout the year. Water is delivered from the main stream for stock, domestic use, some irrigation and town water supply several times a year.
2) Sections of rivers immediately below town water supply dams, where water is diverted directly from the dam. In this situation, flows can be substantially reduced throughout the year, though special environmental releases may be possible.
Map: These rivers are shown as red lines on the map.
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
Supporting information
- This category applies to the Boomi River (situation 1), and river sections below Beardy Waters and Tenterfield Creek (situation 2).
- Water quality can be affected by the loss of diluting or flushing flows where flows have been reduced.
- Water quality problems, such as those associated with pesticides, are common in the Boomi River.
- Flows in much of the river downstream of Tenterfield Creek Dam and Beardy Waters Dam are often substantially reduced by diversion of water to meet urban and industry needs.
- Landholders downstream of dams depend on the remaining flow and may contribute to further reductions. Augmentation of town water supplies will not be required but the management of these dams should be reviewed, along with the conditions on water licences along these streams. Local factors include support for protection of native fish and landholders' needs.
This page was published 1 May 2006
About the Objectives
