Managing Water Pollution from Urban Areas Managing urban run-off is an important part of looking after the health of our local waterways and ultimately the Great Barrier Reef.  Urban areas cover less than 1% of the Great Barrier Reef catchment. Yet stormwater run-off from urban and industrial land use and wastewater treatment plant releases contribute up to 7% of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen and close to 2% of the sediment that flows into the Reef. The Queensland Government’s Queensland Reef Water Quality Program (QRWQP) invests significantly into programs that support local councils and industry to manage excess nutrients and sediment from urban areas flowing into waterways.  The Urban Water Stewardship Framework (framework) assists councils to assess and report on the level of practice applied to key aspects of their urban water management practices in relation to water quality risk.  Additional funding from the Australian Government means the framework will now expand to councils beyond the Reef regional waterway partnership regions, and that assessment workshops are held in person with the findings presented to the executive leadership team of the participating council. Assessments [...]

Understanding Soil - A Key to Water Stewardship Central Highlands Grower Neek Morawitz has been involved in growing cotton since 1984 when his dad Carl began growing the fibre in the Central Highlands. The crop became part of the family’s cropping rotation and in the early 2000’s Neek began growing cotton in his own right on a property at the bottom of the Comet River on the Nogoa McKenzie junction. The efficient use of water has always been a key element in the success of the Morawitz farming strategy and Neek describes his own approach as being a combination of science, best practice and gut feel – and that combination has served him well for many years. “One of the things I do is stretch the deficits when conditions allow, by delaying the  timing of irrigations a bit more than most and past what some of the data might suggest, and that can help the plant to be more resilient. But you can’t make the plant tough without first understanding your own soil types.” Neek well and truly understands the soil he [...]

Woorabinda Healing Country and Gully Remediation Eroding gullies are a big problem for communities and for land managers like the Woorabinda Rangers, as well as for ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef. But they can be repaired. Through the Reef Assist program, Greening Australia has been working with the Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council, Woorabinda Rangers and technical experts Neilly Group Engineering to: Rehabilitate gullies and prevent erosion on Ghungalu/Ghangalu/Gaangalu Country in Central Queensland Create employment and training opportunities for community Improve water quality for the Great Barrier Reef. Three different gullies have been repaired using different methods including reshaping, rock chutes, whoa boys and creating bund walls.  Fencing was also installed to exclude stock and vegetation cover is being re-established to hold the land surface together, helping to create healthy water movement across the landscape.  Throughout the project, Ghungalu/Ghangalu/Gaangalu Nation People undertook cultural heritage surveys to ensure cultural heritage values were respected and cared for during the works. Importantly, the Woorabinda Rangers and a local Indigenous construction business, Ghungalu Investments, were involved in every aspect, including gully repair works, and undertook training [...]