Element 1: Water Quality Improvement Plan
The Townsville Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP) was prepared in accordance with the 
Australian Government Framework for Marine and Estuarine Water Quality Protection 50KB
The Framework is based on the National Water Quality Management Strategy and the National Principles for the Provision of Water for Ecosystems, both approved by Australian Government/State Ministerial Councils.
In conjunction with the Townsville community, Creek to Coral developed a WQIP for the Black and Ross River Basins, which encompasses the majority of the Townsville City local government area (LGA).
The long-term aim of the WQIP is to reduce the amount of nutrients, sediments and other water quality pollutants reaching the receiving waters of the Great Barrier Reef. This is achieved primarily through a series of cooperative actions to improve land based management practices.
The Creek to Coral WQIP:
- Identifies the key threats to water quality;
- Examines the condition of our waterways (with information available at 2008);
- Defines the environmental values of fresh, estuarine and marine waters for Townsville;
- Identifies actions to improve water quality and move towards water quality and ecosystem health targets and;
- Provides a strategic direction and recommends priority management actions for water quality improvement.
Through a combination of sound science and community, industry and government agency input (all levels), the Townsville WQIP is considered to be an effective, integrative, community and science-based process to address water quality issues.
Water Quality Improvement Plan tasks included:
- Development of GIS layers and maps
Including:
- Receiving water bodies of the WQIP catchments;
- Estuarine reaches of major waterways;
- Catchments and sub-catchments;
- Minor drainage systems adjacent to the receiving water bodies and the location of their discharge points;
- The locations of major constructed discharge points;
- The location of near shore facilities that are likely to contribute to pollutant loads.
See GIS and mapping
- Identification of the pressures on and condition (state) of the waterways
Including:
- Critical source activities (land use and industries) and associated pollutants:
- Key pollutants and impacts for waterways, estuaries and the receiving water bodies;
- Riparian and wetland condition assessment
- Current water quality in the waterways, estuaries and the receiving water bodies.
- Determination of environmental values, water quality issues and water quality objectives for the waterways, estuaries and the receiving water bodies through consultation with key stakeholders and the community
- Determination of water quality and flow requirements for target setting
- Estimated water quality improvement load targets using monitoring and modelling processes
- Identification and analysis of management options
Including:
- Specific locations where investment in improved riparian and wetland conditions may deliver cost-effective reductions in pollutants;
- Management measures and control actions, which may be implemented to achieve and maintain the WQIP targets;
- How the impacts of future growth and global warming will be accounted for in proposed management measures and control actions.
Management actions and proposed projects were selected for their cost-effectiveness in achieving both long-term outcomes and short-term incremental gains.
- Preparation of operational and implementation components
Including:
- Recommended priority management actions for water quality improvement;
- Preliminary estimates of timelines and costs for WQIP implementation;
- Potential for integration of WQIP activities with local government planning processes and other local and regional planning and natural resource management activities;
- An integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Modelling Strategy for the waters of the Black Ross (Townsville) WQIP area and Townsville City local government area (LGA);
- A strategy for public reporting on implementation of the WQIP;
- An Adaptive Management framework to ensure the WQIP remains relevant and useful.
Final Product: A Water Quality Improvement Plan for Townsville.
Click here to view the Draft WQIP and supporting documents.
