The Queensland Minister for the Environment has replied to community worries about water quality in a Sunshine Coast waterway.
Andrew Powell moved to alleviate concerns regarding a section of the Pumicestone Passage affected by a tidal breakthrough at Bribie Island in 2022.
The northern end of the waterway, next to the Caloundra city centre, became a near dead-end after the extreme weather event caused the Caloundra Bar to become clogged with sand.
A petition to parliament, led by Damien Hede and signed by 78 people, stated that water quality could have deteriorated and they called for action.
“This relatively pristine waterway no longer flushes out to the sea as it did in the past,” it read.
“The altered flow pattern has raised concerns about potential pollution and safety issues for water activities.
“Additionally, there could be adverse effects on the local environment, residents’ way of life and the appeal of this summer water haven as a tourist destination.
“This, in turn, will drastically affect the businesses along Bulcock Street.
“We respectfully request their (political representatives’) attention and action.
“We believe that, with leadership and appropriate action, we can safeguard the area for future generations.
“Let’s work towards a sustainable solution before it becomes too late, as the health and vitality of the environment depend on the actions we take today.”
The petitioners requested that the state government “do all within its power to undertake proactive steps to address our community’s concerns for the water quality/flushing of the northern section of the Pumicestone Passage”.
In response, Mr Powell said the water was regularly assessed and it had not shown significant signs of deterioration.
“The Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation has been monitoring water quality within passage as part of the Healthy Land and Water Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program for over 20 years,” he said.
“The frequency of monitoring was expanded to every month from August 2023 to July 2024.
“In addition, a back-to-base telemetry buoy was deployed at the same time to provide data on physical and chemical conditions in near real-time (every 10 minutes).
“The data collected during this period, and since then, through the routine program has not shown any substantial decline in environmental water quality.
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“The department has also collected enterococci samples during the routine environmental water quality monitoring program as part of the Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program. Enterococci is commonly used as an indicator of faecal contamination.
“The levels detected have been low. However, this is by no means a comprehensive safety assessment for human health and Queensland Health should be consulted.”
Mr Powell said the breakthrough and changes to water dynamics in the region “are the result of natural coastal processes”.
The Pumicestone catchment area was rated ‘very good’ in the last Healthy Land and Water Report Card for 2023, issued in early 2024. The report card is released every second year.
Related stories: Growing concerns over water quality in passage; Bar could close completely: water quality tested
