The Russell Basin has a population of approximately 1,700 people, largely in Babinda and Miriwinni.
The Russell River is among the least variable rivers in terms of annual flows in Australia, and the basin receives the highest rainfall in the region. The Russell River and Babinda Creek are the two key tributaries of the Russell Basin.
The upper catchment is in the relatively undisturbed rainforest environments of the Bellenden Ker Range.
The river floodplains and the lower river valley are dominated by sugarcane where the environment has been significantly modified with the loss of much of the original lowland rainforest.
The Russell Basin grade has remained ‘good’ in 2022-23 and the score of 78 was unchanged from the previous year.
Key results
- The water quality grade for the Russell Basin remained ‘good’ and the score increased slightly from 74 in 2020-21 to 75.
- Water quality indicator scores remained very similar to the previous year.
The diagram below shows the detailed results for each indicator by year. Click on the timeslider to see data from previous years.
Further Information
For a detailed breakdown of the results and trends, visit the results dashboard or read the methods and results technical reports.
