Freshwater

Freshwater Basins Across the Region

The environmental health of the Wet Tropics freshwater basins is assessed on water quality, habitat and hydrology, and fish. For 2016-17 scores and grades are provided where data is available, with further development required for the fish index.

The nine basins included in the Wet Tropics Report Card region are Daintree, Mossman, Barron, Mulgrave, Russell, Johnstone, Tully, Murray and Herbert. Overall grades are provided for all basins, most are graded B (good) except for the Daintree which was graded A (very good) and the Murray which was graded C (moderate).

Compared to 2015-16, the change in grade for the Mossman basin, from ‘moderate’ to ‘good’ was related to the addition of the flow indicator in the 2016-17 reporting period.

There has now been three consecutive reporting years (2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17) with dry conditions and low discharge across most of the region.

These conditions can provide better water quality results for basins due to reduced runoff and erosion and associated sediment, nutrient and pesticide mobilisation compared to wetter years.

Freshwater

indicators and confidence

freshwaterlegend

Grading

gradesa1

very good

gradesb1

good

gradesc1

moderate

gradesd1

poor

gradese1

very poor

insufficient data

Confidence surrounding the data used in the coasters has been assessed using a multi-criteria framework.

confidence

Environmental results

click on the grades for more information about each zone

 

Further information on the methods used to produce the scores and grades and detailed results can be found here.