Have your say on Fraser Coast’s drinking water catchments

Fraser Coast residents are being encouraged to have their say on what they would prefer to see happen in and around the region’s drinking water catchments.

Cr David Lee said there were three separate catchments that supplied the Fraser Coast with drinking water, and Council was looking to determine the community’s priorities around how Council should help manage these catchments.

“Drinking water catchments are areas where rainwater is collected by the natural landscape and eventually flows via creeks, rivers and underground systems into drinking water storages, such as dams, weirs and barrages,” he said.

“The Fraser Coast’s drinking water catchment areas are located along the Burrum River, the Mary River and Tinana Creek.

“These catchments don’t just provide drinking water though. They also support a wide range of land uses, including agriculture, grazing, forestry and residential properties.

“In addition, our drinking water catchments are home to a range of species of plants and animals, provide opportunities for recreation such as boating, fishing and kayaking, and include culturally significant areas like the Wongi Waterholes.

“Maintaining healthy catchments with good quality water is vital for the community and it’s vital for the environment.”

Cr Lee said Council had developed a series of catchment management guiding principles and was asking community members their views on these principles, as well as what land and water values were most important to them.

The five draft principles for the Fraser Coast Drinking Water Catchment Management Strategy are:

• Council will prioritise drinking water catchment management actions through long-term planning and investment.
• Council will protect our drinking water catchments through Council run and key stakeholder led programs and projects.
• Council will seek to understand and then apply this understanding of our drinking water catchments through targeted sampling, monitoring, surveillance, and actions.
• Council will educate and collaborate with the community and key stakeholders about drinking water catchment knowledge, resources and projects.
• Council will value our drinking water catchments beyond the provision of safe and reliable drinking water focusing on environmental, cultural, social, and economic values.
   

Council has developed a Drinking Water Catchment Management page on its Engagement Hub website - https://frasercoast.engagementhub.com.au/drinking-water-catchment  - which includes a range of fact sheets and a short online survey.

Council officers will also have copies of the survey to fill out at selected markets throughout the region in coming weeks.

The survey opens today and will close on 18 September 2022.