A new $8 million ‘Healthy Country’ project is supporting communities, farmers and scientists to work together to improve water quality in South East Queensland’s catchments and Moreton Bay.
An estimated average of more than 315,000 tonnes of sediment is discharged to Moreton Bay each year from various sources across South East Queensland.
The four-year Healthy Country project focuses on ways to reduce sediments and nutrients entering our waterways locally and in the Bay.
The focus is on three priority catchments, Logan-Albert and Bremer Rivers and Lockyer Creek, which have been shown to contribute the majority of sediment to Moreton Bay.
There are four sub-projects under the Healthy Country project led by the SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership (science and planning), SEQ Catchments (waterway restoration), Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries (sustainable land management) and the Aboriginal cultural heritage group South East Queensland Traditional Owners Alliance (SEQTOA).
SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership spokesperson Professor Stuart Bunn said the success of this project is essential to the future health of our waterways, as well as the lifestyles of people living in South East Queensland.
“We are aiming to show that with well-targeted investments that are underpinned by sound science we can repair our waterways and reduce the loads of sediment and nutrients downstream,” Professor Bunn said.
“If we continue with business as usual, Moreton Bay as we know it will not exist in 2026,” Professor Bunn said.
The Healthy Country Project will consist of a series of collaborative research projects, waterway restoration and sustainable land management programs.
Local committees in each catchment are now planning and coordinating extensive research and restoration programs.