Water Plan (Gold Coast) 2006

This water plan may be cited as the Water Plan (Gold Coast) 2006.

The following are the purposes of this plan—

to define the availability of water in the plan area;

to provide a framework for sustainably managing water and the taking of water;

to identify priorities and mechanisms for dealing with future water requirements;

to provide a framework for establishing water allocations;

to provide a framework for reversing, where practicable, degradation that has occurred in natural ecosystems.

The dictionary in schedule 11 defines particular words used in this plan.

This plan applies to the area shown as the plan area on the map in schedule 1.

Each part of the plan area that is within a subcatchment area shown on the map in schedule 2, and named in schedule 3, is a subcatchment area for this plan.

The exact location of the plan area and subcatchment area boundaries is held in digital electronic form by the department.

The information held in digital electronic form can be reduced or enlarged to show the details of the boundaries.

A node mentioned in this plan is a place—

on a watercourse in the plan area; and

for which environmental flow objectives are set for performance indicators.

The location of each node is shown on the map in schedule 1 and described in schedule 4.

Each node is identified on the map by a letter of the alphabet.

This plan applies to water in a watercourse, lake or spring in the plan area.

Water is to be allocated and sustainably managed in a way that—

recognises the natural state of watercourses, lakes and springs has changed because of water infrastructure, flow supplementation and the taking of water; and

seeks to achieve a balance in the following outcomes—

the general outcomes mentioned in section 10;

the ecological outcomes mentioned in section 11.

Each of the following is a general outcome for water in the plan area—

to provide for future water requirements, including the opportunity for additional water to be taken from the plan area;

to provide for the continued use of all existing water entitlements and other authorisations;

to protect the probability of being able to obtain water under a water allocation;

to encourage the efficient use of water;

to protect essential water supplies when water availability is low;

to support natural ecosystems by minimising changes to natural flow regimes;

to protect, or minimise the impact of the taking of water on, ecological assets and ecosystem structures and processes;

to allow water-related cultural use of the plan area by the traditional owners of the area;

to provide consistency between this plan and the SEQ regional plan.

Particular ecological outcomes for water in the part of the plan area stated for the outcome are as follows—

for Coomera River within the area known as Canungra Land Warfare Centre, including, in particular, Back Creek, and other waters of high ecological value under the Environmental Protection (Water and Wetland Biodiversity) Policy 2019, including, in particular, Tallebudgerra Creek and Currumbin Creek—to minimise changes to the flow regimes of the waters;

for Nerang River upstream of the Hinze Dam and Little Nerang Creek upstream of the Little Nerang Dam—

to minimise changes to river-forming processes; and

to minimise changes to the flow regime;

for Coomera River estuary—

to minimise changes, as far as practicable, to freshwater flows into the Coomera River estuary; and

to minimise changes to the freshwater inflows to Coombabah Lake.

Also, an ecological outcome for water in the plan area is to minimise changes, as far as practicable, to the volume and seasonality of freshwater flows into Moreton Bay and the Broadwater.

The performance indicators for the environmental flow objectives are—

for assessing periods of low flow—

50% daily flow; and

90% daily flow; and

daily flow less than 1ML; and

number of periods of no flow of at least 1 month but less than 3 months; and

number of periods of no flow of at least 3 months but less than 6 months; and

number of periods of no flow of at least 6 months; and

for assessing periods of medium to high flow—

mean annual flow; and

1.5 year daily flow volume; and

5 year daily flow volume; and

20 year daily flow volume; and

for assessing seasonal flow patterns—

flow regime class; and

annual proportional flow deviation.