05/09/2002Environmental
management has emerged as a priority for the Board of NQ Water in its 2003
financial year budget.

This is achieved by allocating
funds to water quality monitoring, capital works and future planning.
The Board approved:

$145,000 for the control of aquatic and
terrestrial weeds across the entire area of operations;

$25,000 towards the maintenance of the Lake
Paluma access road;

$25,000 for a feasibility study into
eco-tourism on Ross River Dam;

$25,000 to continue investigations into impacts
of motorised watercraft activities on the Paluma and Ross River
Dams;

$100,000 for environmental and recreational
management of Ross River, including education programs and monitoring
water quality, and

$15,000 for fish restocking programs in Ross
River.

In other project funding, work to
further upgrade infrastructure at Lake Paluma with boat ramps, dedicated
camping facilities and traffic mitigation is valued at $300,000 and will
go to preserve the natural heritage of the wilderness area.

The Board has also put $78,000
towards developing the Water Quality Strategy and Environmental Management
Systems. These funds will target several key areas, such as:

A Land Use Control Management Plan, which feeds
into the councils’ town plans and ensures land use that protects water
quality;

An Infrastructure Corridor Management Plan
which addresses preventative measures and emergency contingencies to do
with roads and rail lines that traverse the catchment;

A Raw Water Quality Management Plan, which
includes the monitoring of water into the dam and addresses issues like
an early warning system for blue green algal blooms and materials
extraction in the catchment, and

A critical review of the Board’s Environmental
Management Systems.

NQ Water Chairman, Ian Hamilton,
said all NQ Water’s operations were designed to deliver a clean, healthy
and consistent supply of water.

"Water is one of the most regulated
industries in the country and NQ Water follows industry best practice when
it comes to water quality, environmental management and other guidelines,"
he said.

"Our continued memberships of peak
bodies, including the CRC Water Quality and Treatment and the Australia
Water Association, will ensure we stay abreast of all current trends and
issues regarding water quality and supply."

Contact: Ian
Hamilton can be reached for comment on 0418 777 284. CEO Ken Diehm
is on 0438 192 082. Media Liaison Robert Dark is on 0417 623
156.