{"id":8857,"date":"2024-10-02T02:04:21","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T02:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/forest-resilience-copy\/"},"modified":"2025-04-03T20:28:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T20:28:47","slug":"sediment-runoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/sediment-runoff\/","title":{"rendered":"New funding to reduce sediment runoff to the Reef"},"content":{"rendered":"[mk_page_section bg_image=”https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/gully-erosion-from-the-air.jpg” bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” bg_stretch=”true” enable_3d=”true” min_height=”500″ js_vertical_centered=”true” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” section_id=”donate” el_class=”donate-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”70px”][mk_fancy_title font_family=”none” align=”center”]NEW SEDIMENT REDUCTION PROGRAM ANNOUNCED[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”67″][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_id=”great-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789112768{padding-right: 36px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_left”][mk_padding_divider size=”100″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”15″ visibility=”visible-sm”][mk_padding_divider visibility=”visible-tl”][mk_fancy_title size=”28″ letter_spacing=”4″ margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”none” el_class=”terrain-title-2″]NEW $31M INVESTMENT TO REDUCE SEDIMENT RUNOFF IN THE WET TROPICS[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”60″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”20″ visibility=”visible-nb”][vc_column_text el_class=”sub-head” css=”.vc_custom_1727242111834{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]OCTOBER 2024[\/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”5″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1727834868688{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]A new $31 million project will reduce sediment runoff to the Great Barrier Reef from the Wet Tropics region. The six-year project is targeting eroding streambanks, gullies and hillslopes, and will prioritise and design solutions for erosion sites identified as the highest risk for water quality.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Reef 2035 Sediment Reduction Project\u2019 is being funded by the Australian Government\u2019s Reef Trust and managed by Far North Queensland natural resource management organisation Terrain NRM.<\/p>\n

Terrain CEO Stewart Christie said the project is the start of the next phase of investment for reef water quality programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last 15 years there has been a strong focus on reducing land-based runoff, and landholders across the region have been working hard to change land management practices,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cAs a result, there has been good progress towards Australia\u2019s Reef Water Quality 2050 targets. But there is still more work to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Christie said the new program would begin with streambank and gully survey work to identify and prioritise erosion hotspots across the region, with a focus on improving the land and reducing fine sediment loads in our waterways and on the Great Barrier Reef. This would be followed by the design of engineered solutions and then the on-ground works.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping topsoil on the land is vitally important for production. Likewise, good water quality is vitally important for healthy waterways and for the Reef – it affects everything from microscopic plants to corals and barramundi,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project will focus on runoff that leads to fine sediment in our waterways, because it\u2019s the fine sediment that reduces the amount of sunlight penetrating the water and that\u2019s a problem for things like seagrass and corals which rely on sunlight to generate energy. Then there\u2019s a trickle-down effect to all sea life relying on the corals and seagrass for food and shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789122720{padding-right: 0px !important;padding-left: 34px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_right”][mk_padding_divider size=”206″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”50″ visibility=”hidden-sm”][mk_padding_divider size=”5″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1727835898010{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]\"\"<\/p>\n

Terrain NRM Project Manager Lana Hepburn said streambank erosion is the biggest source of fine sediment impacting the Reef from the Wet Tropics.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine sediment includes small particles of silt and clay – one of the main pollutants impacting the health of the Reef. Our on-ground work will be a combination of hard and soft engineering solutions, including rock walls and pile fields,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLonger-term solutions for erosion are changing land management practices and keeping vegetated buffer zones along creeks and rivers to stabilise the banks. Fixing these sites is also a win for landholders who stand to lose valuable topsoil and production land.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1727836114542{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]BENEFITS\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n