Nutrient offsets
Looking after our streams with our partners. Developing end-to-end nutrient offset solutions to protect environmental values.
Developing end-to-end nutrient offset solutions to protect environmental values.Healthy Land & Water has been working with our members and stakeholders to deliver offset projects that focus on reducing nutrients from point source discharges from sewage treatment plants.
Since 2013, Healthy Land & Water has been leading the charge on environmental nutrient offsets.
An environmental offset compensates for impacts to one site, by managing land at a different site to replace those environmental values which were impacted or lost. Environmental offsets is a large, complex market that has many ‘streams’ including nutrients, terrestrial, marine, and koala habitat offsets.
An offset is a last resort after other avoidance and mitigation options have been explored. Here at Healthy Land & Water, we have been in the fortunate position, with our partners, to help plan for future potential water quality impacts. As our population is expected to grow, and more demands are placed on treating the water we all use, staying a step ahead of these forecast-increased demands is an important role for HLW to play a lead role in.
What we are doing
Our work encompasses end-to-end delivery of nutrient offset projects. This includes identifying suitable sites, conceptualising nature-based solutions and options, exploring the feasibility of implementing these options, defining the benefits associated with the solutions, involving key stakeholders, facilitating project delivery, and implementing, maintaining, and reporting on project progress.
This process integrates Healthy Land & Water’s unique GIS capabilities, unmatched on-ground local catchment knowledge, robust project development processes, and client needs by way of a custom multifaceted portfolio evaluation matrix, endorsed by independent scientific input.
As the demand for environmental nutrient offsets continues to rise, Healthy Land and Water strives to be the premier market leader in this space.
To enquire about our nutrient offset expertise, please phone (07) 3177 9100 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Measuring success
As a pioneer in nutrient offsets, Healthy Land & Water provides our clients with multiple-benefit solutions. This includes reduced sediment and nutrients entering our waterways, improved habitat, stabilised riverbanks leading to flood mitigation, and the protection of infrastructure such as bridges, roads, and homes. Our solutions also enable clients to enhance their relationships with the community and landholders for mutual outcomes.
To date, our offsets projects have delivered:
- 6,220 hectares of land retained for habitat restoration.
- 92 km of vegetation rehabilitated.
- Over 90% tree planting survival rate.
- 12,000 trees planted.
- Avoiding around 38,000 tonnes of sediment, 20 tonnes of nitrogen, and 40 tonnes of phosphorous entering the waterways each year on average.
Why this project is important
| Our nutrient offset projects enable clients to enhance their relationships with the community and landholders for mutual outcomes.
We have established, long-standing relationships with landholders, Traditional Owners, and local community groups ensuring our projects achieve extensive on-ground outcomes These outcomes include a reduction in the sediment and nutrients entering our waterways, improved habitat, and stabilised riverbanks which leads to flood mitigation and the protection of infrastructure such as bridges, roads, and homes. |
Project snapshot
| Project name: | Nutrient offsets projects in the Logan River, Caboolture River, Pine River, Mooloolah River, Maroochy River, Gold Coast catchments, Yandina Wetlands, and Laidley Creek. |
| Project manager: | Multiple, Healthy Land & Water |
| Catchment: | South East Queensland |
| Timing: | Ongoing since 2013 |
| Budget: | |
| Partnerships: |
A Healthy Land & Water project, in collaboration with Urban Utilities, Unitywater, the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science, Logan City Council (including the Logan Water Infrastructure Alliance and Downer Utilities), and the City of Gold Coast. |
| Related Articles: |
What's next
There is potential to build on the successful work.
Project collaborators
Partners include Urban Utilities, Unitywater, the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science, Logan City Council (including the Logan Water Infrastructure Alliance and Downer Utilities), and the City of Gold Coast.