Crop water and stock water suitability reports have been prepared by applying the appropriate Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality to data provided by partners. Only chemical characteristics that may affect crop production or animal health have been used.

Irrigation of crops and supplying stock with drinking water are major agricultural uses of water and good water quality is essential for sustainable long-term production. Plant health and production can be affected by the physical and chemical properties of irrigation water, however the impact on production can be very situation specific. Factors which need to be considered include: the sensitivity of the crop being cultivated, the characteristics of the soil under irrigation, soil management and water management practices, climate and rainfall.

There are fewer variables associated with stock drinking water, but requirements do vary with age and between species. There is significant use of groundwater for stock and for irrigation in some catchments within the Fitzroy Basin for example, Callide Creek, however, this report deals only with surface water quality from natural waters within creeks, rivers or on-stream storages.

The Partnership uses data provided by companies and government agencies to score surface waters against 20 indicators for stock water and 22 for crop water. Indicators were selected using the same criteria as for the EHI and those chosen for inclusion are routinely monitored and have an available guideline for stock or crop water quality suitability.