Redland City’s waterways are the healthiest they have been for eight years, according to the 2012 South East Queensland Ecosystem Health Report Card.
Mayor Karen Williams said the report revealed Redland City was one of only four catchments in South East Queensland where overall waterway quality improved.
“It is great news that the Redlands recorded the most significant improvement in SEQ,” Cr Williams said.
You may also like these stories
“Our freshwater catchments’ quality improved overall from F to D+. The improvement was so significant that the result was less than 1 per cent short of achieving a C- rating.
“While we can be proud of the improvement, the challenge now is for us to sustain, and even improve, the trend.
“By working together, I believe we can achieve this goal.”
The Ecosystem Health Report Card forms an annual snapshot of the ecosystem health of our local waterways, with grades ranging from A to F to identify issues. It presents the results of a comprehensive marine, estuarine and freshwater ecosystem health monitoring program for SEQ.
It grades 19 catchments and18 estuaries in SEQ and nine zones within Moreton Bay based on data collected from July 2011 to June 2012. The Redlands area covers one of the freshwater catchments, two estuaries and one zone within Moreton Bay.
Redlands’ catchments feed into Waterloo Bay, which received an encouraging grade, rising from B+ to A-. This contributed to an overall ranking for Moreton Bay, which improved from C- to B-.
Eprapah Creek and Tingalpa Creek are the two Redlands’ estuary systems to score in the report card, both recording a C+ grade in 2012, a slight improvement from a C in 2011.
Cr Williams said Council was working hard to improve the health and quality of Redlands’ waterways and the efforts were paying dividends.
“We know that conserving natural areas, planting more trees, removing weeds, improving erosion and managing catchments makes a long-term difference,” she said.
“For the last five years Council has prioritised waterway recovery with considerable financial investment and resources. This focus is starting to pay dividends for the health of our waterways.
“To date, Council has partnered with over 60 landholders in its Waterways Extension Program to minimise nutrients and sediment entering waterways from their properties.
“Council also works with 44 dedicated Bushcare volunteer groups across the city. In the last 12
months, almost 20,000 native plants were planted across the City many to help stabilise creek
banks.
“Working towards improving the health of our local waterways is a key priority for Council and
with support from the community we will continue to see improvements and ensure we
contribute to the protection of healthy waterways and Moreton Bay.”
Council’s own Waterway Recovery Report was released last week and provides localised
results from Council’s own extensive site monitoring. It supports the regional results showing
an improvement in the Redlands’ catchment water quality.
For more information on the SEQ Ecosystem Health Report Card please visit www.healthywaterways.org. Council’s 2012 Waterway Recovery Report is available at
www.redland.qld.gov.au.
