About the Burdekin Water Quality Improvement Plan

The Burdekin WQIP process has invested in projects aimed at understanding the physical characteristics of our region and their influence on water quality issues. This ongoing task has produced the most comprehensive synthesis of information yet complied of the aquatic resources contained by the Burdekin and Haughton drainage systems.  See Chapter 2 and  Chapter 3of the Burdekin WQIP.

An important parallel task has been the development of Best Management Practice Guidelines for grazing and sugar lands. These guidelines draw on the updated knowledge base gained during the BWQIP development process to provide the tools and guidelines for NRM actions by our stakeholders - namely landowners, industry, NRM managers and Government. Chapter 4 of the Burdekin WQIP deals with how Best Management Practice Guidelines were developed and what they recommend.

In developing a plan to improve water quality it has been necessary to understand the uses and values of water from a social perspective. In line with the processes set out in the National Water Quality Management Strategy, the Burdekin WQIP development phase engaged its community of stakeholders to identify the Environmental Values of water and to set Water Quality Objectives that guided the process by which water quality within the region will be improved. Environmental Values and Water Quality Objectives are discussed in Chapter 5 of the Burdekin WQIP.

With the knowledge foundation and objectives in place, the Burdekin WQIP process set about developing its Program Logic. Program logic is a description of the relationship between physical activities and desired outcomes that make up the planning process. Program logic is developed through extensive stakeholder consultation and is at the very heart of the Burdekin WQIP. For a description of Program Logic, its development and how the priority actions, outcomes and targets were developed to meet Water Quality Objective see Chapter 6 of the Burdekin WQIP.

Chapter 7 of the Burdekin WQIP is a summary of the resource condition of the region as set out in the BWQIP Catchment Atlas. It provides an explanantion and navigational overview of how to use the Catchment Atlas. It also provides information about the priority subcatchments for action under the Burdekin WQIP. The process of producing an up-to-date synthesis of resource condition for the BWQIP region lead to the compilation of the Catchment Atlas. You can easily and quickly navigate the Catchment Atlas to find a resource condition summary for any of the 48 subcatchments within the study area. The Catchment Atlas is a large document published separately from the Burdekin WQIP. The Catchment Atlas can be accessed by following the link here.

Chapter 8 of the Burdekin WQIP outlines the priority actions, outcomes and targets that underpin an agreed strategy to improve water quality and ensure healthy aquatic ecosystems in the Burdekin WQIP region.