Testing the waters with grower-led monitoring at Sandy Creek

The Palaszczuk Government’s $700,000 investment into the grower-led Sandy Creek water quality monitoring project is reaping benefits for Mackay Whitsunday waterways, local growers and the Great Barrier Reef.

Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Leeanne Enoch said the Sandy Creek project, now in its second year, was originally established with a group of 15 local growers who wanted to understand and improve the water quality in their local creek.

“The project has worked with managers of up to 140 different farms in the region and continues to build knowledge around how farm practices affect nutrient and pesticide run-off in local waterways,” Ms Enoch said.

“As a consequence, many growers are now working closely with local extension officers to improve their farm management practices.

“This is a wonderful example of how the Palaszczuk Government and farmers are working together to benefit water quality for the Reef.”

Director of Farmacist Rob Sluggett said everyone involved in the project had the same objective – to improve water quality.

“This project has allowed everyone, including farmers and scientists, to work collaboratively towards the common goal of achieving better water quality outcomes,” he said.

“As a sugarcane farmer myself, I know how vital water quality is, and it is important we have projects like this where we can share knowledge and achieve improved results for everyone.”

Canegrower Phil Deguara said he had been involved in the grower-led project for about three years.

“Farmers value the importance of water quality and we want to do what we can to improve the health of our local creek,” he said.

“This project has been an educational experience and it has been interesting to watch how water quality readings have altered based on our farming practices.”

Minister Enoch said the Sandy Creek project was also one of the many Government initiatives that were focused on improving water quality.

There are also new affordable water quality sensor prototypes being tested in Reef catchment areas.

“One of the challenges for monitoring water quality in Great Barrier Reef catchments is the cost of equipment, which can add up to tens of thousands of dollars for each individual sensor,” Ms Enoch said.

The field testing, which AJJA Technologies began last month and involved placing the prototypes at various locations across Reef catchments, including two in the Mackay Whitsunday region.

“Our investment into grower-led initiatives and improved water quality monitoring can build stronger, more sustainable agricultural businesses and reap water quality benefits for the Reef,” Ms Enoch said.

This project is funded through the Palaszczuk Government’s Advance Queensland Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

Minister for Innovation Kate Jones said that the SBIR program supported innovators to develop, research and test solutions to complex government challenges.

“The Great Barrier Reef is Queensland’s greatest natural asset and it’s important that we support innovative new ways to protect the Reef,” Ms Jones said.

“By providing SBIR funding to projects like Sandy Creek we are helping innovators commercialise their ideas and deliver long-term benefits to our State.”

The Mackay Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Report annual report card includes the results of water quality monitoring programs throughout the region, including the Plane Creek basin and Sandy Creek estuary.

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