Reef Water Quality in Agriculture Developments
Service: South Yaamba Precinct Plan for Agricultural developments in the area to minimise impact to waterways.
Client: Rockhampton Regional Council (RRC) and Advance Rockhampton
Location: Rockhampton Region, South Yaamba and Fitzroy Food Bowl
Start: Sep 2023
Completion: October 2024
South Yaamba Region: 10,100ha area of primarily agricultural land usage in central Queensland.
Delivery of the South Yaamba Reef Water Quality Plan: addressing potential risks to water quality and considers the Rookwood Weir Land Management Code of Practice (RWLMCP) and the Reef Regulations (RR).
The plan aims to provide support to the South Yaamba area and to selected landholders in the broader Fitzroy Food Bowl who are progressing irrigation developments on their land to achieve reef water quality outcomes (reduce sediment, pesticide, and nutrient export).
A key part of our service offering is this project is application of quantitative modelling approaches to objectively assess the impacts of proposed developments, and to inform changes to management practices and/or mitigation measures to ensure no net impact on reef water quality.
Initial site visits with designated landholders provided insights into their aspirations, current and proposed management practices, and opportunities, including practices to reduce sediment, pesticide, and nutrient runoff.
The Precinct Plan details the expected reductions in these elements to the Fitzroy River as a result of implementation of control measures. Further engagement with the landholders was undertaken to develop property-specific tailored farm plans.
The project included a model for practice change and a suite of tools to support improved water quality in new agricultural developments in the Fitzroy, including fact sheets, case studies, video, and a landholder workshop.
Verterra’s new DROVER service was also engaged as part of the project.
