Moreton Bay remains in excellent condition

Published 05 November 2020

The 2020 Healthy Land & Water report card is good news for Moreton Bay with water quality improving thanks to regrowth in seagrass beds and a reduction in silt runoff.

However Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Peter Flannery said the science was bittersweet - with the improvement in water quality largely attributed to lower than average rainfalls.

“The ocean currents have been able to flush a lot of mud build-up out of the bay because there’s been no rain to wash soil out to sea, but that’s left our land parched,” Cr Flannery said.

 “So I welcome our A- grade in this year’s report, it’s happy news to know that our glistening bay not only looks good but is also a wonderfully healthy ecosystem for marine life to flourish.

“Excellent catchment conditions have resulted in a very high number of residents satisfied with their local waterways, compared to some other Council areas.

“Our pristine local waterways are also a massive drawcard for tourists, particularly coming into summer.

“In fact South East Queensland’s waterways provide over $5 billion in economic benefits each year in industry, tourism, recreation and fishing and Moreton Bay really needs to reap in those benefits as  these industries recover from the financial impacts of COVID-19.”

Julie McLellan, CEO of Healthy Land and Water said it is a milestone year for the long-running program, marking 20 years of intensive data collection and reporting.

“This puts the wealth of valuable trend information that South East Queensland needs, to be able to adapt to the significant pressures ahead, at our fingertips,” she said.

“It is important to keep in mind that the very things that attract people to live and visit Queensland’s south east corner are also impacted by the increasing development the increased activity brings.

“The information the Report Card brings together helps guide decisions to adapt to these additional pressures by guiding concerted and well-informed action.”

Cr Flannery said Council is doing its part to build the resilience in our waterways, including the development of an Environment and Sustainability Strategy.

“We all have a part to play in reducing pollution in our waterways and Council has invested in restoring drains and re-establishing natural wetlands, repairing the vegetation along the creek banks to reduce sediment, and securing land around our waterways for environmental management.

“Council is in the process of engaging with  Healthy Land and Water to remove litter and work with Council to help manage the health of the Caboolture River.”

Healthy Land and Waters’ Senior Scientist, Rachael Nasplezes said The Caboolture River is an iconic local river much loved by locals and visitors alike.

“As a coastal, subtropical city Moreton Bay is defined by its rivers and the Bay and waterways and marine environments are intrinsically a part of what makes this place so special,” she said.

“As tourism and economic assets, the bay, rivers and local waterways inject over $2.5 billion into the economy each year.

“We need to act to ensure these valuable community assets continue to function as healthy systems. Addressing the impacts of waterway litter through immediate removal mitigates the damage this can cause when it reaches our marine environments.

Data collection helps us to determine where we will have the best investment impact in delivering on ground initiatives that help to capture and hold litter on land where we can easily collect it before it enters waterways.”

For more information, please visit www.hlw.org.au