Good quality freshwater is essential for the Tasmanian economy, environment, and the way of life of communities in the State. To achieve this, the Rural Water Use Strategy is focusing on partnerships and initiatives that improve our understanding and management of water quality and the health of waterways.
Tasmania has several important but specifically focused waterway health monitoring networks that help to ensure we have safe drinking water, manage pollutants, and monitor the influence of economically important uses of natural resources. To improve our understanding of the health of our rivers and effectively manage our catchments, we are establishing a comprehensive monitoring network to assess the quality of our water.
Through the collaboration of the Water Managers and Data Custodians Working Group, we have identified existing water quality data sets and assessed where there are gaps and overlaps in our information. This assessment is guiding us in creating a new collaborative statewide water quality monitoring program that incorporates existing monitoring and fills in any gaps. The program will be cost efficient, well organised, and fit for purpose, and will involve a joint operational and resourcing effort from a range of stakeholders.
RWUS Fact sheet - Water Quality Monitoring Program (PDF 362Kb)
Project timeline
2022
| The Water Managers and Data Custodians Working Group established with members from key water management agencies.
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2024
| Review conducted of water quality monitoring programs by water management agencies across the state, identifying gaps and overlaps in monitoring locations and data collected. |
| 2025 | Design new, collaborative, long-term Water Quality Monitoring Program. |
2026 - ongoing
| Resourcing and implementation of new Water Quality Monitoring Program. |
