Regional WQ Strategy Overview

IN BRIEF:

The Burdekin Regional Water Quality Strategy is a new strategic-level plan being developed to guide prioritisation of resources and investment into activities that aim to improve regional water quality outcomes. The strategy will:

• Align with existing plans like the Reef 2050 Long-Term Strategy and the 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan.
• Establish a shared vision and high-level goals for the region across eight catchments and 52 sub-catchments.
• Cover a range of impact areas including sediment, nutrients, pesticides, urban pollution, and coastal degradation.
• Focus on building the region’s long-term capacity and capability to maximise water quality impacts.
• Not include specific water quality targets, investment costs, or non-water quality regional priorities.
• The strategy development process involves three stages of desktop research, targeted consultation, and broader public consultation, with the goal of completing the final strategy by June 2025. The success of the plan will depend on collaboration and partnerships across the region.