Environmental values - Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009
Introduction
The Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009 (EPP Water) commenced on 28 August 2009 and replaces the original policy first released in 1997. The Explanatory Notes (PDF)* for the EPP Water provide additional information regarding the policy.
The EPP Water seeks to achieve the object of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act) in relation to Queensland waters—to protect Queensland's waters while allowing for development that is ecologically sustainable. Queensland waters include water in rivers, streams, wetlands, lakes, aquifers, estuaries and coastal areas.
This purpose is achieved within a framework that includes:
- identifying environmental values (EVs) for aquatic ecosystems and for human uses (e.g. water for drinking, farm supply, agriculture, industry and recreational use)
- determining water quality guidelines (WQGs) and water quality objectives (WQOs) to enhance or protect the environmental values.
The processes to identify EVs and to determine WQGs and WQOs are based on the the National Water Quality Management Strategy (NWQMS, 2000), Implementation Guidelines (1998) and further outlined in the Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000).
Scheduling under the EPP Water
The map below displays the areas scheduled and future scheduling under the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009.
View the large map by selecting the small map below.
EVs and WQOs that are adopted by the Government for particular waters are included in Schedule 1 of the EPP Water. The scheduling process is set out in the EPP Water.
The following waters have EVs and WQOs scheduled in the EPP Water:
Moreton Bay/South-east Queensland - including all waters of the Noosa, Maroochy, Mooloolah, Pine, Stradbroke Islands, Logan-Albert and South Coast river basins, Moreton Bay and coastal waters
Mary River Basin/Great Sandy Region - including all waters of the Burrum (part), Mary, Fraser Island, Hervey Bay and Noosa/Great Sandy basins and coastal waters
Wet Tropics (part) - including all waters of the Daintree and Mossman basins and coastal waters and Trinity Inlet
Fitzroy Basin - covering all waters of the Comet, Callide, Dawson, Fitzroy, Isaac (including Connors River catchment), Mackenzie and Nogoa Sub-basins.
The documents and accompanying plans that describe these waters are here. Corresponding spatial (GIS) datasets are also available.
The current program, including indicative timelines, for scheduling EVs and WQOs for other waters is:
| Scheduled | Waters |
| By December 2011 | Mackay-Whitsunday Region - including all waters of the Proserpine, Whitsunday Island, O'Connell, Pioneer and Plane basins and coastal waters Black and Ross basins - including coastal waters, Cleveland Bay and Magnetic Island |
| By December 2012 | Wet Tropics - including all waters of the Barron, Mulgrave, Russell, Johnstone, Tully, Murray, Hinchinbrook Island and Herbert basins and coastal waters Baffle, Kolan, Burnett and Burrum (part) basins and coastal waters Queensland Murray Darling Basin - including all waters of the Condamine, Balonne, Border Rivers, Moonie, Paroo and Warrego and Bulloo basins |
| By December 2013 | Boyne, Calliope, Curtis Island, Shoalwater, Styx and Waterpark basins and coastal waters Haughton, Burdekin and Don basins and coastal waters |
Contact details
For further information please contact the EV Project Team:
- by email click here;
- by mail to the EV Project Team at GPO Box 2454, Brisbane Q 4001
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Last updated 13 October 2011