Water Plan (Logan Basin) 2007

This water plan may be cited as the Water Plan (Logan Basin) 2007.

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 13 defines particular words used in this plan.

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

Note—

See section 6 for information about the exact location of the plan area.

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 the following water in the plan area—

water in a watercourse or lake;

water in springs not connected to water to which the Water Plan (Great Artesian Basin and Other Regional Aquifers) 2017 applies.

Water in the plan area 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 for particular parts of the plan area 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 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 during times of low water availability;

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

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

to provide consistency with the SEQ regional plan.

Each of the following is an ecological outcome for water in a particular part of the plan area—

for the Logan and Albert Rivers estuary—

to minimise changes to the delivery of fresh water, sediment, nutrients and organic matter to the estuary and southern Moreton Bay; and

to minimise changes to the brackish water habitat in the estuary;

for Canungra Creek, Christmas Creek, Running Creek, Palen Creek and Upper Logan River subcatchment areas, Albert River and its tributaries upstream of node F, Burnett Creek and its tributaries upstream of node A and Teviot Brook and its tributaries upstream of node E—

to minimise changes to the low flow regime of the watercourses; and

to minimise changes to the medium and high flow regime important to river forming processes;

for the Carbrook wetlands—to minimise changes to the flooding regime.

The performance indicators for the environmental flow objectives are—

for assessing periods of low flow, the following—

50% daily flow;

90% daily flow;

daily flow less than 1ML;

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

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

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

for assessing periods of medium to high flow, the following—

mean annual flow;

1.5 year daily flow volume;

5 year daily flow volume;

20 year daily flow volume; and

for assessing seasonal flow patterns—

flow regime class; and

annual proportional flow deviation.