$700,000 investment to improve Queensland water management
Healthy Land & Water is set to be involved in three innovative new water management projects focused on improving the management of surface and groundwater resources in Queensland.
The Queensland Government is investing $700,000 towards enhancing the State’s water modelling capabilities.
These projects will be led by dynamic consortia consisting of First Nations representatives, leading universities, utilities, natural resource management bodies, consultancies, and government agencies. Their collective mission is to address a diverse range of water-related challenges, from incorporating First Nations’ knowledge into water models to bolstering climate and flood resilience and floodplain erosion management.
Water models play a pivotal role in shaping decisions across various domains, including water policy, resource planning, flood risk management, and the conservation of the Great Barrier Reef. The newfound projects are set to elevate Queensland's capacity to address these issues, each focusing on a specific facet of water modelling.
Healthy Land & Water will be involved in three of the seven new projects:
Revolutionising riparian management – A smart Bayesian network and interactive visualisation tool for evidence-based investment in SEQ catchment values, water quality and climate resilience. A collaborative effort by Healthy Land & Water, QUT, and Mirror Analytics, this project will enhance the way investment in, and management of riparian zones are prioritised to ensure investments are evidence-based and provide maximum benefits.
A modelling framework for nutrient offsets – Nutrient offsetting (to counter nutrient loads from other sources) has grown in popularity, but estimating any offset’s effectiveness has historically been limited. This project seeks innovative solutions to the challenges of estimating nutrient offset effectiveness. We will work together with Griffith University, Alluvium Consulting, DES, The University of Queensland, Urban Utilities, and Sydney Water, to address this issue.
Multi-model assessment of drinking water security under climate change – Griffith University, Cairns City Council, Seqwater, Torres Strait Island Regional Council, and Healthy Land & Water are joining forces to develop a suite of water models to assess the impact of climate change on drinking water security.
The Queensland Government is investing $699,151 in this suite of new projects, co-funded by the Department of Environment and Science (DES) ($549,151) and the Department of Regional Development Manufacturing and Water ($150,000), signifying a steadfast commitment to improving water resource management.
To find out more about all the projects and the consortia running them click here.
Source: Queensland Government – Department of Environment and Science – Media Release $700,000 investment to enhance Queensland water modelling | Department of Environment and Science, Queensland (des.qld.gov.au).