Harden
Issue: Catchments
This issue is discussed for these areas: [an error occurred while processing this directive]
For more details refer to the following Indicators:
Contaminated Sites | Discharge to Waters | Groundwater | Land Degradation | Land Use | Surface Water Quality
How has Catchment Quality Changed?
The Harden Shire is located on the South-west Slopes of New South Wales (NSW) in the Murrumbidgee Catchment. The Shire has an area of 1,869 square kilometers. Harden Shire is known for its dryland cropping and grazing and has a population of approximately 3,700.
Insufficient data was available for Harden Shire to assess changes to, or impacts on, many aspects of catchment quality over the current reporting period. As a result, changes in erosion and groundwater quality are not reported.
Drought was a significant event impacting on catchment quality in Harden Shire over the current reporting period. The drought which commenced in 1997, is as serious if not worse than other major prolonged droughts such as 1895 to 1903 and 1938 to 1945. Previous extreme drought years include 1902, 1914, 1938, 1940, 1944, 1967, 1982 and 2002. The 2006–2007 irrigation season was a record dry season for much of the area.
As water availability has changed, water allocations within the catchment have been adjusted. Water allocations are made in a way that reflects the priority given to domestic and basic rights supplies, then to core environmental needs, then to irrigation and industry. Operational plans for 2007–2008 reflect that the catchment experienced one of the lowest inflow periods in history. In many cases, high security licences were permitted to carryover unused water for the first time.
Drought or excessive water extraction causes water bodies to dry out, water quality conditions deteriorate and the fish within them may die or be eaten by birds. This scenario is unlikely for the main river channels, but is likely for many of the smaller creeks and tributaries. Indeed, many of the smaller creeks have already dried back to a series of disconnected pools.
Algal blooms are also more frequent during drought conditions due to low, slow flows.
During the drought, salinity levels are generally relatively low. This is due to little or no inflows from higher salinity tributaries and no return flows. Groundwater leakages from saline floodplains are generally also lower. However, if dilution flows continue to reduce, river salinity levels increase.
With little water available for irrigation there is the potential for substantial economic impacts. Irrigators who grow annual crops generally adjust their planting area depending on water availability. However, irrigators who grow perennial crops are impacted in the long term if they are unable to ensure crop survival.
Over the current reporting period, water allocations that were assigned in July 2006 had to be suspended in October and November 2006, due to the drought and inflows being below previous recorded low inflows. Domestic water restrictions are currently in the majority towns within the catchment. These are used to raise awareness and understanding of the current drought and encourage people to conserve and use water more efficiently, resulting in lower water consumption.
Where are the ‘Hot-Spots’?
Harden Shire sewage treatment plant operates a sludge/evaporation plant and is licensed to discharge into the Murrimboola Creek. The license also allows for the utilisation of waste water to areas located at the following sporting ovals including McLean Oval, Station Street Oval, and Harden Country Club Golf Course. No records for volumes of discharge and mass loads of nitrogen and phosphorus were available for the reporting period. However it is noted on the licence that the daily volume limits were exceeded on two occasions and the pH, total suspended solids and BOD were exceeded on five occasions during 2004-205.
The land use results supplied for the reporting period indicated that there was no significant change in land use in the Shire. Over the reporting period it is expected that the rural residential development within the Shire continued to increase marginally. As such it is expected that the related erosion and sedimentation to this development would have also increased.
Strongly acidic soils occurred predominantly in the Jugiong Creek subcatchment. However, the majority of agricultural lands within Harden Shire were not in this class but the risk of soil acidification was listed as high to critical. The impacts of acid soils are likely decreased crop yields, and increased risk of issues such erosion, siltation and salinity. The upper Jugiong Creek subcatchment in the east of the shire also had the highest concentration of areas with severe to extreme erosion.
Severe to extreme dryland salinity outbreaks were mainly recorded in the upper Currawong Creek subcatchment over the reporting period.
Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority identify some of the key challenges facing catchments in Harden Shire as:
- use local knowledge and enthusiasm for social, environmental and economic sustainability, including continuing land care and improving water management.
- continue scientific research, monitoring and reporting on river issues.
- reverse the loss of native trees and other perennial vegetation across parts of the catchment that is leading to stream and wetland sedimentation, increased water turbidity, rising watertables, increased salinity levels in waters, and urban salinity.
- reduce the causes of unnatural rates of river erosion and manage riparian zones to protect remaining native vegetation.
- reduce remaining significant point-source pollution (e.g. sewage treatment plants, unsewered villages).
- further reduce pollution of stormwater runoff from both urban and rural lands, and contamination of surface or groundwater with pesticides or other chemicals.
- enable continuing improvements in efficiency of agricultural and urban water uses.
- increase efforts to control exotic plant and animal pests in rivers, particularly carp (DECC, 2008).
What has been done to address Catchment Quality?
Harden Shire Council has adopted a Water Restriction Policy for the Shire over the reporting period. Shire Council also promotes the NSW governments Rainwater Tank program to be used by residents to reduce potable water demand.
No other information was available from the Shire Council on the catchment quality programs undertaken during the financial year.
Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority undertakes landcare projects with the Harden Murrumbidgee Landcare Group. The projects mainly focus on revegetation on Shire Council land and projects that contribute to decreasing dryland salinity, and improving river and water quality.
What does this mean for Shire Council?
The catchment data supplied from the Shire Council and the Department of Water and Energy is lacking for many topics within Harden Shire. This means that only partial assessment of the catchment quality is ever possible.
There is limited Shire Council monitoring of erosion, sedimentation, salinity and ground and surface water quality. Therefore, impacts from urban and rural development and significant natural pressures such as drought cannot be fully determined. The monitoring of implemented Shire Council strategies and associated actions is also necessary to determine their effectiveness in achieving the desired catchment management outcomes.
Harden Shire Council should undertake the following actions to ensure environmental improvement in the catchment:
- continue to work closely with Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority, to implement joint projects and ensure consistency in approach to land and water management and complementary actions.
- continue and build on the effective relationship NSW State Government agencies to ensure up to date information regarding condition of the catchments environmental drivers such as salinity, and associated management issues relevant to them.
- monitor and adapt to the impacts of climate change to ensure no significant detrimental catchment effect is sustained from the changing conditions and any future actions.
- continue to ensure impacts on ground and surface water quality are considered in landuse zoning, development applications, sewage and water supply treatment.
- implement appropriate environmental monitoring programs to measure the effectiveness of Shire Council's policies, strategies, and management activities.
- support and encourage sustainable land use and water management in the urban and rural communities. Approach business and industries regarding sustainable practices and monitoring.
References
DECC - see Department of Environment and Climate Change
Department of Environment and Climate Change (2008) NSW Water Quality and River Flow Objectives: Murrumbidgee River Community Comment on Objectives, Department of Environment and Climate Change viewed at http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/ieo/Murrumbidgee/report-01.htm on 17 October 2008.
