Community
25 September, 2024
Decreasing run-off to Reef
A WATER monitoring program on Cassowary Coast farms is helping scientists and landholders to learn more about how wetlands work as treatment systems for nutrient and sediment runoff.
Water samples have been collected from constructed wetlands in the Innisfail and Tully region over the past five years, both on a regular basis and during large rainfall events.
Terrain NRM’s project officer Maria Ribbeck said the data was providing valuable insights into the way wetlands function and their extensive capacity to filter pollutants and improve water quality. “It is also helping us to learn the best conditions for wetlands to optimise removal of nitrogen from the water cycle,’’ she said.
“One of the two constructed wetlands is on 8ha of low-lying land on a farm managed by Tully Sugar Ltd. The data has shown us it’s a high-performing site, with capacity to remove an over 1000kg of nitrogen a year from the water passing through the wetland.
“This project is a model of successful collaboration between industry and research that’s paving the way for ongoing water quality improvement.’’
Tully Sugar’s cane productivity and development manager Greg Shannon said the project was raising awareness of wetlands and their usefulness in the farming landscape.
“The last year’s findings were recently presented to us,’’ he said.
“This project has helped us understand how wetlands work and how we can optimise their ability to treat water.
“The longer this wetland is monitored, the more data we can get, and this will make the findings more and more useful for our decision-making in terms of wetland maintenance and management as time goes by.”
