Noosa River holds rating but room for improvement

Noosa Council has welcomed news that the Noosa River has once again received top marks in this year’s Healthy Waterways Report card, released today.

Noosa River received an A- score for its combined estuarine and freshwater health for the second year running.

Noosa Mayor Tony Wellington said while this is great news, there is always room for improvement.

“A recent study by Dr Ruth Thurstan of the University of Queensland showed that biodiversity in the Noosa River has been significantly depleted in the past 100 years or more,” Cr Wellington said. 

“Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation, in collaboration with various community groups and tertiary institutions, is engaging in a series of projects to help improve that biodiversity.

“One such project is called ‘Keep it in Kin Kin’. This effort aims to reduce sediment entering the river from the Kin Kin catchment. The project ties in perfectly with one of the key recommendations in the Healthy Waterways Report to reduce pollutant loads in Kin Kin Creek,” Cr Wellington said.

Thanks to efforts by University of Sunshine Coast scientists and others, the Noosa River and estuary will soon be one of the best understood waterways in the country. 

“I hope the restoration work happening in the river will provide insights to assist the remediation of other river systems,” the Mayor said.

“This work has already found that the Noosa River is home to a number of endangered species.”

The Noosa River catchment also scored four out of five stars in the Report’s scoring system reflecting social and economic indicators.

“Noosa retains the highest proportion of both freshwater and estuarine habitats in South East Queensland, which help support very high social and economic benefits,” Healthy Waterways and Catchments CEO Julie McLellan said. 

“The community therefore value their waterways very highly, and the economic value generated through local community waterway recreation is also very high.

“In order to protect the social and economic benefits from the pressures of urban development, it is critical to incorporate stormwater management infrastructure in new developments, and implement erosion and sediment control on construction sites,” she said. 

16 November 2016