Transcript

Pioneer Catchment Story

This catchment story is part of a series prepared for the catchments of Queensland.

Table of Contents

1. Understanding how water flows in the catchment
2. How to view this map journal
3. Map journal for the Pioneer catchment—water movement
4. Pioneer catchment story
5. Values of the catchment—key features
6. Values of the catchment—economic
7. Values of the catchment—environmental and social
8. Natural features—geology and topography
9. Natural features—rainfall
10. Natural features—vegetation
11. Modified features—infrastructure, dams, weirs and bores
12. Modified features—sediment
13. Water quality
14. Water flow
15. The main areas
16. Cattle Creek
17. Silver Creek
18. Pioneer River
19. Teemburra Creek
20. Conclusion
21. Acknowledgments
22. Data source, links and extra information

Understanding how water flows in the catchment

To effectively manage a catchment it is important to have a collective understanding of how the catchment works. This map journal gathers information from experts and other data sources to provide that understanding.

The information was gathered using the walking the landscapeprocess, where experts systematically worked through a catchment in a facilitated workshop, to incorporate diverse knowledge on the landscape features and processes, both natural and human. It focused on water flow and the key factors that affect water movement.

The map journal was prepared by the Queensland Wetlands Program in the Queensland Department of Environment and Science in collaboration with local partners.

How to view this Map Journal

This map journal is best viewed in Chrome or Firefox, not Explorer.

Map Journal for the Pioneer Catchment - water movement

This map journal describes the location, extent and values of the Pioneer catchment*. It demonstrates the key features which influence water flow, including geology, topography, rainfall and runoff, natural features, human modifications and land uses.

Knowing how water moves in the landscape is fundamental to sustainably managing the catchment and the services it provides.

*The use of the terms 'catchment', 'sub-catchment', 'basin' and 'sub-basin' are sometimes used interchangeably. In this map journal the term 'catchment' has been used.

Pioneer Catchment Story

The Pioneer catchment is located in north Queensland and is part of the Reef Catchments NRM Region. The catchment falls within the Mackay Regional Council area. The main townships include Mackay and Marian and there are several other small rural residential areas. The catchment covers approximately 1574 square kilometres (click for animation). The main waterway is the Pioneer River, together with smaller waterways including Cattle Creek, Silver Creek and Teemburra Creek. All waterways (click for animation) flow to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) into the Coral Sea. The GBR is World Heritage-listed and a marine park. The Pioneer catchment is surrounded by the O'Connell, Bowen, Isaac and Plane catchments.

There is a drop-down legend for most maps and it can be accessed by clicking on 'LEGEND' at the top right of the map. On this map you can use the drop down legend for the land use.

There are also 'pop-ups' for most mapping features - simply click on the mapping of interest for more information.

Values of the catchment—key features

Key features of the Pioneer catchment include:

• Agricultural production in the area chiefly consists of grazing and sugarcane.
• The top of the catchment consists of predominantly granite, with alluvium surrounding major channels.
• National parks, stateforests and forest reserves make up a significant portion of the upper-catchment.
• The average annual rainfall ranges from 1401 - 1601mm around Cattle Creek and the upper Pioneer River.
• Teemburra Dam was constructed in 1997 for irrigation and town water storage purposes, and releases into both the Pioneer River and Cattle Creek.
• Releases from Teemburra Dam into Cattle Creek result in 100 megalitres being released per day regardless of downstream demand.

Values of the catchment—economic

The Pioneer catchment supports many different land uses*, including grazing on native and improved pastures and irrigated cropping (sugarcane). There are small, family owned timber processing operations, sourcing hardwood timber from private and State owned resources. There are small areas of mining and several Key Resource Areas.**

*Australian Land Use Management Classification(Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, 2010) - see links at the end of this map journal for further information.

**Hard rock, gravel and sand extraction shown is within KRAs (Key Resource Areas) only. KRAs are identified locations containing important extractive resources of state or regional significance worthy of protection for future use. Some KRAs include existing extractive operations (see link at the end of map journal for more information).

Values of the catchment—environmental and social

The Pioneer catchment provides important habitat for many marine, estuarine, freshwater and terrestrial species.

The catchment includes several protected areas and nature refuges. Protected areas also provide recreational activities such as bush walking, swimming, camping, boating and fishing. These activities not only provide substantial social and health benefits but they are also very important for tourism.

The wetlands and creeks of the catchment provide habitat for many important aquatic species, including plants, fish and birds. Estuarine areas also support important plants (mangrove, saltmarsh and seagrass), marine turtles, marine mammals and fisheries species.

Information about the different types of wetlands shown in this mapping is provided here.

The sub-catchment includes declared Fish Habitat Areas* and Dugong Protection Areas.

Many of the species in the catchment have lifecycles with connections to the GBR, which is World Heritage-listed and a marine park.

*Declared Fish Habitat Area Plans (Queensland Government 2017) - see links at the end of this map journal for further information.

Natural features—geology and topography

Several different rock types combine to make up the geology of the Pioneer catchment.

The majority of rock types in the catchment contain granite, with limited groundwater recharge ability and high surface water run-off. Run-off can be further exacerbated by steep terrain in the upper parts of the catchment.

There are areas of alluvium in the lower parts of the catchment, which absorb and hold water and can recharge groundwater systems.

Conceptual models for several of the catchment's geology types are provided below.

Natural features—rainfall

The Pioneer catchment receives moderate to high rainfall, predominantly in the wet season. The average annual rainfall ranges from 1,401 to 1,601 millimeters around Cattle Creek and the upper Pioneer River.

Natural features—vegetation

Vegetation affects how water flows through the catchment, and this process is affected by land use and management practices. Native vegetation slows water, retaining it longer in the landscape and recharging groundwater aquifers, and reducing the erosion potential and the loss of soil from the catchment.

Several different vegetation types combine to make up the original native (preclearing) vegetation of the Pioneer catchment.* Much of the catchment has been cleared or partially-cleared for a range of rural and urban land uses. Some of the cleared vegetation has regrown** since initial clearing.

Explore the swipe map showing vegetation clearing over time, using either of the options below.***

• Interactive swipe app where you can zoom into areas and use the swipe bar (ESRI version)
• Interactive swipe app where you can use the swipe bar. Use the white slide bar at the bottom of the map for a comparison(HTML version)

These developments and activities change the shape of the landscape and can modify water flow patterns.

*Broad Vegetation Groups derived from Regional Ecosystems. Regional Ecosystems are vegetation communities in a bioregion that are consistently associated with a particular combination of geology, landform and soil.

**Smaller areas of regrowth are not shown in this mapping. This dataset was prepared to support certain category C additions to the Regulated Vegetation Management Map under the Vegetation Management (Reinstatement) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016. This dataset is described as: The 2013 areas of non-remnant native woody vegetation that have not been cleared between 1988 and 2014 that are homogenous for at least 0.5 hectare and occur in clumps of at least 2 hectares in coastal regions and 5 hectares elsewhere.

***This application takes time to load.

Modified features—infrastructure, dams, weirs and bores

The Pioneer catchment contains artificial channels, re-profiled channels and shallow drains, primarily in the lower catchment. There are also areas of artificial canals in the catchment.

Buildings and important infrastructure such as roads, railways and creek crossings create barriers and impermeable surfaces that redirect water through single points or culverts, leading to channeling of water. This increases the rate of flow and the potential for erosion. Modifications to channels, such as straightening and diversions, can also increase flow rates.

Dams and weirs also modify natural water flow patterns, by holding water that would otherwise flow straight into the stream network. The catchment has many rural water storages (farm dams) and the relatively large Teemburra Dam. This infrastructure can also affect fish passage.

There are also many bores, which extract water for livestock and domestic uses and can influence groundwater.

Modified features—sediment

Increases in the volume and speed of runoff can increase erosion in the landscape and the stream channels, resulting in sediment being carried downstream and reduced water quality.

The suspended sediment of most risk to the GBR is the fine fraction. This is the component that contains most of the nitrogen and phosphorus content (and other contaminants), travels widely in flood plumes rather than all depositing near the river mouth, and is very effective at reducing light when in suspension.

Furthermore, the impacts of suspended sediment contributes to the cumulative impacts of other stressors (e.g. fresh-water flood plumes, elevated nutrients, impacts from cyclones, increasing sea surface temperatures) to increase the overall impact on organisms of the GBR.

Water Quality

Water quality is influenced by diffuse runoff and point source inputs. Runoff is from a variety of land uses, including rural, residential, industrial and commercial areas.

Diffuse runoff includes on-site sewage facilities (e.g. septic tanks) and stormwater discharges. Many rural areas and more densely populated rural-residential areas use on-site sewage facilities.

Point source inputs include sewage treatment plants (STPs).

Information regarding monitoring sites (gauging stations*) and catchment load monitoring** can be found in the reference section at the end of this map journal.

*Queensland Government (2018) Water Quality Information Portal [webpage] Accessed 23 August 2018 see links at the end of this map journal for further information.

**Great Barrier Reef Catchment Loads Modelling Program (Queensland Government, 2017); Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan 2017-2022. Queensland Government (2018); Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan - Report cards (Queensland Government (2017) see links at the end of this map journal for further information.

Water flow

Water flows across the landscape into the Pioneer River and other waterways (click for animation)*.

The remaining water either sinks into the ground where it supports a variety of terrestrial and groundwater dependent ecosystems or is used for other purposes.

The smaller channels and gullies eventually flatten out to form larger waterways that flow through lower lying land. They pass through unconsolidated areas which store and release water, prolonging the time streams flow.

*Please note this application takes time to load.

The main areas

A 'catchment' is an area with a natural boundary (for example ridges, hills or mountains) where all surface water drains to a common channel to form rivers or creeks.*

The Pioneer catchment is listed as a single catchment but consists of several distinct areas that have similar characteristics:

1. Cattle Creek (Palm Tree Creek)
2. Silver Creek (MacGregor Creek)
3. Pioneer River(sections Mirani, Marian, Dumbleton Rocks Weirs
4. Teemburra Creek (Blacks Creek, Rocky Dam Creek, Stockyard Creek)

*Definition sourced from the City of Gold Coast website - see links at the end of this map journal.

Cattle Creek

• Headwaters: Dominant rock type granite. Then downstream moves to clay silt, sand, gravel and soil; colluvial and residual deposits (generally on older land surfaces).
• Cattle Creek has a widened channel due to erosion and landslips. Localised areas of active erosion but mostly stabilised. Was more meandering now straighter due to severe erosion resulting in channel realignment during major floods.
• Granites have eroded into sodic soils, there are landslips during big events and extensive bank erosion. This is a major sediment supply to the system with erosion down to the bedrock. This has stabilised.
• Alluvia with near-permanent flows and fractured rocks.
• The riparian vegetation is variable. Terracing in the floodplain. In the lower floodplain areas the riparian vegetation is a lot better with regrowth apparent, as it hasn't been cleared recently.
• Gauging station at Finch Hatton.
• Most baseflow is from the connectivity with riparian aquifers. Flows come from three sources (1/3 each)- surrounding fractured rock from NP, riparian aquifers, run off.
• There is no supplemented water in the upper Cattle Creek, whereas in the lower creek down to Mirani Weir there is supplemented water.
• Cattle Creek has a more coarse sediment load than Blacks and Upper Pioneer.
• MW water quality improvement plan (WQIP) has Upper Cattle Creek as generally moderate overall water quality and total suspended solds/ nutrients.
• Sunwater – delivery of water via:
• Cattle Creek between the confluence of Cattle Creek and Palm Tree Creek 14.0km and the Palm Tree Creek diversion pipeline outlet 21.0km
• Cattle Creek between the confluence of Cattle Creek and the Pioneer River 0.0km and the confluence of Cattle Creek and Palm Tree Creek 14.0km
• Palm Tree Creek from 0km to 7.5km, and Cattle Creek from 0km to 14.0km
• The Palm Tree Creek outlet from Teemburra Dam into Cattle Creek is the major release point into the Pioneer River WSS when natural flows no longer meet demand. Releases through the Palm Tree Creek outlet are made at a fixed discharge capacity of 100 megalitres per day.

Silver Creek

• MacGregor: Siltstone and mudstone, volcanilithic sandstone and conglomerate and minor altered basalt; local rhyolitic to dacitic ignimbrite and rhyolitic to andesitic volcaniclastic rocks.
• Silver: Clay, silt, sand, gravel and soil; colluvial and residual deposits (generally on older land surfaces).
• No GDEs around Silver Creek. MacGregor has Terretsrial GDE - Alluvia not supporting baseflow.
• 1401 mm p.a - 1601 mm p.a in the headwaters of MacGregor Creek.
• Mainly cropping for sugar and grazing native vegetation. Small areas of conservation in the hills.
• Riparian vegetation in headwaters of Silver Creek in good condition.
• Silver Creek has well burnt and controlled riparian.
• Silver Creek flows into McGregor Creek and is deeper in the headwaters but then flattens out into intensively cropped land for sugarcane.
• Silver Creek flows into Macgregor Creek. Macgregor Creek is pristine in the top end but then flattens out into heavily caned areas.
• Sunwater – delivery of water via:
• McGregor Creek between the confluence of McGregor Creek and the Pioneer River at 0.0 km and the confluence of McGregor Creek and Silver Creek 7.0km
• Silver Creek between the confluence of Silver Creek and McGregor Creek 0.0km and the Silver Creek diversion channel outlet 14.0km

Pioneer River

• Headwaters: Dominant rock type Granite. Then downstream moves to clay, silt, sand, gravel and soil; colluvial and residual deposits. Siltstone and mudstone, volcanilithic sandstone and conglomerate and minor altered basalt. Mouth of river and coastal areas consist of clay, silt, sand; estuarine and deltaic deposits.
• The river runs down a fault line. Granites and metamorphics at top end running down to large alluvial area. In the past, the river may have run down Cattle Creek and then down Sandy Creek and has changed course due to geological movement.
• Alluvia not supporting baseflow and some fractured rock in areas like Bustard Creek . Alluvia with seasonal flows.
• Mouth of river and coastal areas consists of clay, silt, sand; estuarine and deltaic deposits. GDEs are located in coastal sand masses.
• The Pioneer River is highly regulated with a major dam (Teemburra Dam) and a series of weirs (Marian, Mirani and Dumbleton).
• Weir pools back up on the main channel forming some waterbodies (seen in the wetland mapping).
• Important wetlands both estuarine and fresh near the town of Mackay. Work is being done on these wetlands for rehabilitation and reconnection.
• MW water quality improvement plan (WQIP) has Pioneer main river channel as generally very poor and poor Overall WQ and TSS/nutrients.
• Water is also diverted through a series of creeks to be utilised in the Pioneer Valley Irrigation Scheme.
• It is also pumped to the nearby Kinchant Dam which is the major storage for the Eton Irrigation Scheme in the Plane Creek catchment.
• Up on the slopes production forestry and grazing native vegetation land use means some riparian is intact to the east. However, further down the system it is clear from cropping (cane), grazing, urban and industrial close to the mouth and Port of Mackay.
• In high flow events in the Pioneer above Dumbleton Rock Weir flows into the Plane basin and into Bakers Creek.
• Sunwater – delivery of water via:
• Pioneer River from the confluence with Blacks Creek at 62.5km to the tidal limit which includes the ponded areas of Mirani Weir, Marian Weir and Dumbleton Weirs

Teemburra Creek

Teemburra above Dam: Dominant rock type is Granite. Alluvia with seasonal flows and fractured rocks. Fast flowing and steep headwaters, high rainfall.

• Most of the headwaters in national park/ state forest - Crediton State Forest. Riparian intact.
• Transmission losses are very high below the main Teemburra Dam outlet and limited releases only are made from this outlet to supply irrigators to the junction with Cattle Creek.
• Sunwater – delivery of water via:
• Teemburra Creek (including the ponded area of Teemburra Dam) from 26.5km to the confluence with Blacks Creek at 83.5km
• There are two outlets from Teemburra Dam – main dam to the Pioneer River and saddle dam 2 to Cattle Creek
• Blacks Creek and Rocky Dam Creek Headwaters: Dominant rock type Granite. No alluvium in headwaters or Rocky Dam Creek.
• High rainfall and steep slopes means fast run off. Channels are incised and confined.
• Sunwater – delivery of water via:
• Water is released from Teemburra Dam via Blacks Creek to supplement flows in the Pioneer River to supply water for urban, industrial and irrigation users
• Blacks Creek below Teemburra Dam to confluence of Stockyard: Dominant rock type Granite. Limited alluvium. Natural sand deposits.
• Alluvia with supplemented flows. Fractured rocks in the upper sections of surrounding creeks flowing into Blacks Creek.
• Teemburra to Stockyard Creek is near permanent and can dry up into pools.
• Sunwater – delivery of water via:
• Pioneer River from the confluence with Blacks Creek at 62.5km to the tidal limit which includes the ponded areas of Mirani Weir, Marian Weir and Dumbleton Weirs
• Blacks Creek from the confluence with Teemburra Creek at 83.5km to the confluence with Pioneer River at 62.5km
• Sand loads from Blacks Creek is a natural sedimentation process, finer sediment load than Cattle Creek.
• Stockyard Creek has some groundwater supply. Dispersive soils. Natural sediment load. Alluvia with seasonal flows and fractured rocks.
• Flows not dictated by dam releases or supplemented.
• Riparian generally intact but open grazing.

Conclusion

The Pioneer catchment shows how natural and modified features within the landscape impact on how water flows. These issues need to be managed to ensure that the significant natural (and social) values of the catchment are protected, and to minimise impacts on the multitude of values within the catchment and downstream in the GBR, while providing for residential, water supply, farming and other important land uses of the catchment.

Knowing how the catchment functions is also important for future planning, including climate resilience. With this knowledge, we can make better decisions about how we manage this vital area.

Acknowledgements

Developed by the Queensland Wetlands Program in the Department of Environment and Science in partnership with:

Mackay Regional Council

Whitsunday Regional Council

Reef Catchments

NQ Dry Tropics

Cape York NRM

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy

Great Barrier Marine Park Authority

Australasian Fish Passage Services

Catchment Solutions

Central Queensland University

Mackay Area Productivity Services

Pioneer Catchment and Landcare Group

Pioneer Valley Water

Whitsunday Landcare

Farmacist

This resource should be cited as: Walking the Landscape – Pioneer Catchment Map Journal v1.0 (2018), presentation, Department of Environment and Science, Queensland.

Images provided by Reef Catchments.

The Queensland Wetlands Program supports projects and activities that result in long-term benefits to the sustainable management, wise use and protection of wetlands in Queensland. The tools developed by the Program help wetlands landholders, managers and decision makers in government and industry.

Contact wetlands♲des.qld.gov.au or visit wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au

Disclaimer

This map journal has been prepared with all due diligence and care, based on the best available information at the time of publication. The department holds no responsibility for any errors or omissions within the document. Any decisions made by other parties based on this document are solely the responsibility of those parties. Information contained in this education module is from a number of sources and, as such, does not necessarily represent government or departmental policy.

Data sources, links and information

Software Used

ArcGIS for Desktop | ArcGIS Online | Story Map Journal

Some of the information used to put together this Map Journal can be viewed on the QLD Globe.

The Queensland Globe is an interactive online tool that can be opened inside the Google Earth™ application. Queensland Globe allows you to view and explore Queensland spatial data and imagery. You can also download a cadastral SmartMap or purchase and download a current titles search.

More information about the layers used can be found here:

Source Data Table

Flooding Information

Whitsunday Regional Council

Mackay Regional Council

Other References

City of Gold Coast (2021) About water catchments. [webpage] Accessed 25 August 2021

Catchment Solutions (2015) Mackay Whitsunday Fish Barrier Prioritisation [webpage] Accessed 18 August 2018

Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (2010) Australian Land Use Management Classification [webpage] Accessed 18 August 2018

Queensland Government (2016) Declared Fish Habitat Area Plans [webpage] Accessed 18 August 2018

Queensland Government (2016) Key Resource Areas in Queensland [webpage] Accessed 18 August 2018

Queensland Government (2017) Great Barrier Reef Catchment Loads Modelling Program [webpage] Accessed 18 August 2018

Queensland Government (2018) Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan 2017-2022 [webpage] Accessed 24 August 2018

Queensland Government (2018) Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan - Report cards [webpage] Accessed 24 August 2018

Queensland Government (2018) Water Monitoring Information Portal [webpage] Accessed 18 August 2018

Reef Catchments (2016) Water Quality Improvement Plan – Mackay Whitsunday Isaac 2014-2021 [webpage] Accessed 18 August 2018

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Last updated: 25 August 2021