Natural Resource Management in Northern Tasmania Tamar Estuary & Esk Rivers Program

Tamar Estuary and Esk Rivers program TEER Northern Tasmania Toni Furlonge March 2018

Tamar Estuary – Northern Tasmania Drains 10 000 km2 Home to Launceston (2nd largest city) Representing 15% of Tasmania’s land mass Mix of landuses: industrial agriculture (grazing, cropping and dairy both irrigated and dryland) forestry (plantation and native) aquiculture reserved land for conservation

Tamar Estuary Freshwater to marine Urban to industrial Increasing urban and agriculture (vineyards and berries) Recreational hot spots In 2008 the Tamar Estuary and Esk Rivers program was formed = TEER Partnership with business and local government along the length of the Estuary. Councils Taswater (water authority) EPA Dept Health and Human Services Institute of Marine Sciences (University) Temco South 32 Bell Bay Aluminium Petuna Seafoods

Program partners and aims TEER program is a partnership approach to waterway management Over 20 organisations Common goals for improving waterway health A coordinated approach Investment to protect, maintain and enhance Improving scientific understanding Data custodian and supply for other studies

TEER documents WQIP The blueprint for improving water quality in the Tamar River estuary Launched in December 2015 Implementation schedule Sets out what activities will be done Partnership report Summarises main projects Terms of reference Data sharing agreement Monitoring agreements Partnership agreements Science Action Plan Fact sheets

What we do Bi annual meetings of partners – discuss and endorse Working groups (FST, Stormwater, BG Algae) Collect and collate WQ data for report cards Supply WQ data to support decision making for Sewage Treatment Plant upgrades, Agricultural and Aquiculture development, River flows and proposed developments such as a Tamar barrage, tidal power generation and sediment management options). Work with partners – EPA biological monitoring Community Education – Schools and events Recreational water quality and the accumulation of silt are the big community concerns

Program links to WQIP - catchment Outlines 3 key activities: Grazing – 45% land area Ground cover management Stock access to streams Riparian buffer zones What we have achieved through NRM 95km of fencing livestock out of rivers 101 ha of riparian areas protected 16 riverbank erosion sites addressed estimated 1.8 tonnes of sediment reduced 138 ha of revegetation 558 ha of improved effluent management/irrigation on dairy farms

Program links to WQIP - Dairy Outlines 4 key activities: Dairy <1% land area effluent management Stock access to waterways Irrigation management Drainage management FERT$MART 150 farmers 6 commercial machinery contractors have purchased $3+ million of machinery to spread effluent. There used to be just 1. CLEAN RIVERS 107 farmers More water troughs, Better effluent re-use.

Program links to WQIP – other Cropping <3% land area Aquaculture 6 enterprises Forestry 25% land area Urban adoption of water sensitive urban design combined system overflows sewerage infrastructure upgrades

WQIP targets & Report Cards - how we are tracking Sewage treatment plant discharge loads show a reduction of Total Suspended Solids, Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorous and overall discharge (12%, 25%, 36% and 13% respectively). Zone 1 shows a reduction in average monthly levels of Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorous (22% and 10% respectively), all other zones show an increase (up to 13%) or small decrease (up to 3%). Zone 1 doing well, other zones not so well …… high and low rainfall years does what to report card grades?????????????? WQIP Reduction Load Targets

WQIP and Report Cards leverage investment 2017 business’s partners with Local and State Government invested in a further 3 year monitoring and reporting plan (NRM TEER program) In addition…Local government, NRM and business’s worked together to attract further State and Federal government $$. To improve water quality in zone 1 (urban) through a decrease in pathogens. Two investment plans ($$) developed showing multiple benefits over different time frames and spatial scales Catchment action for improved water quality Combined system overflows infrastructure upgrades

In Summary…. TEER program started in 2008 WQIP completed 2015 Using 7 years of our WQ data, developed own WQ indicator levels for report cards In 2017 using WQIP, TEER leveraged financial support from 5 local government agencies, 2 state government agencies (EPA Lab support & Dept Health Human services) and State Government for 3 years of continuous WQ monitoring and report cards Local Government, NRM and Business’s worked together to develop catchment and Combined Systems Overflow improvement plans successful in winning State and Federal $$

Now… 2018 Report card (2017 data) Governance (external) overview to direct management of new state and federal funding Ongoing monthly water quality monitoring Faecal source tracking Biological (autumn and spring) Blue Green Algae New State and Federal investment Urban plan (Sewage treatment plant upgrades) Catchment plan (stock out of waterways, improved dairy etc)