Townsville Waterways Report Card promotes continuing need to monitor and care for our waterways
- comms514
- Jul 16
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 17
The 2025 Waterways Report Card has been released by the Healthy Waters Partnership for the Dry Tropics, offering a snapshot of the health of Townsville’s rivers, creeks, and coastal waters, from the catchment to the Great Barrier Reef.
This year’s Report Card shows that while overall water quality in the Black and urban-influenced Ross Basin remains 'good', the picture beneath the surface is more complex.
The reporting period (July 2023 – June 2024) was also marked by significant climate stressors, including Severe Tropical Cyclone Kirrily and the fifth mass coral bleaching event on the Reef since 2016, highlighting how environmental and urban pressures are converging.
“Maintaining ‘good’ water quality across both the Black and Ross Basins each year since the Report Card was established, means we’re doing many things right, and that’s something to celebrate,” said Kara-Mae Coulter-Atkins, Executive Officer of the Healthy Waters Partnership.
“But the value of the Report Card lies in its ability to show not only where we’re doing well, but also where we can improve. The detail shows fluctuations across both our freshwater and marine environments,” she said.
These fluctuations are evident in the Bohle River freshwater sub-basin, which continues to show persistent challenges, receiving a ‘poor’ water quality grade for the sixth consecutive year.
“As Townsville’s most urbanised basin, the Bohle supports nearly half of the city’s population,” said Kara-Mae. “This year, water clarity improved in the Bohle, but low dissolved oxygen levels and ongoing high nutrients show this system remains under pressure from the significant urban load it bears.”
“With urban growth continuing, it’s important we keep monitoring waterways in this catchment, to track changes over time and identify areas where stewardship activities have the greatest value,” she said.
Members of the Partnership, which include community, business and government organisations, are actively working to improve water quality in the Bohle through a range of on-ground stewardship projects.
“Everyone who lives, works or plays in the Bohle catchment can be part of the solution. Small everyday actions, such as getting involved at tree planting events, can contribute to healthier waterways,” said Kara-Mae.
Beyond the catchment
Cleveland Bay also maintained ‘good’ water quality, however habitat dropped from ‘moderate’ to ‘poor’, driven by a decline in seagrass density, a vital food source for dugongs and turtles.
While seagrass meadow size and species richness held steady, the loss of density reflects compounding natural environmental pressures, including Severe Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, and periods of cloud cover, strong winds, and high waves.
“The frequency of environmental pressures doesn’t allow seagrass meadows enough recovery time to regenerate,” said Kara-Mae. “Improving water quality in the catchment strengthens the resilience of seagrass, and coral, helping them better resist and recover from environmental pressures.”
A valuable tool for guiding management decisions
The data in the Report Card is collated from multiple sources and across various environmental indicators, to provide the snapshot of waterway health. It’s backed by subject matter experts from government, industry, science, research and community.
“No single organisation could produce this Report Card alone,” Kara-Mae said. “Its value is not just in the data. It’s in the collaboration and how we use that shared knowledge to respond in ways that are targeted and effective.”
“Community involvement is essential. Our waterways form the backdrop where we picnic, fish, and exercise. They’re important for our health and livelihoods,” added Kara-Mae.
Community members can support waterway health by joining local clean-up events, reducing chemical use at home, or participating in citizen science initiatives.
Or head to the Strand for Healthy Waters Arvo. The free, family-friendly community event will be held in Strand Park on Saturday 26 July and 2 August, from 2:30 – 5pm. Meet Townsville’s leading waterway organisations, and celebrate our local rivers, creeks, and coasts. The event runs alongside Strand Ephemera, whose theme (‘Trace-less’) inspires reflection on the delicate balance of our waterways and the impacts we leave behind.
Other notable results from the 2025 Waterways Report Card, which is the sixth Report Card for the Townsville Dry Tropics, include:
The Ross Basin has mostly ‘very good’ or ‘good’ water quality across all the rivers and creeks monitored, except for the Bohle River.
In the Black Basin freshwater environment, water clarity improved in most creeks, lifting the water quality grade from ‘moderate’ to ‘good’ in both the Black River and Bluewater Creek sub-basins. It’s the best result for the Black Basin freshwater environment since the first Report Card in 2019.
Downstream in the Black Basin, there was a slight dip in water quality, driven by an increase in nutrients in Crystal Creek estuary.
Cleveland Bay water quality showed improvement, with the open-coastal sub-zone returning to a ‘very good’ grade, which it had maintained for a number of years before dropping last year.
In Halifax Bay, water quality dropped slightly in some areas, mostly due to chlorophyll a, which shows concentrations of phytoplankton in the water.
Macroalgae, a type of seaweed, continues to be of concern, taking up valuable space needed by baby corals to settle and grow on reefs in Cleveland and Halifax Bays.
Coral reefs furthest from the coast, in the Offshore Marine Zone, held onto their overall ‘good’ health rating, with some showing signs of improvement. Coral bleaching during the fifth mass bleaching event since 2016 on the Great Barrier Reef may have had an impact, but this was not yet captured in the data.
Litter clean-ups across 14 sites show the beach at Alma Bay faced the highest pressure. Encouragingly, the east coast of Orpheus Island shows reduced litter pressure.
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Minister for Science and Innovation Andrew Powell (L), Healthy Waters Partnership Independent Chair Dr Keith Noble and Executive Officer Kara-Mae Coulter-Atkins (R).
Quotes attributable to the Minister for the Environment and Tourism:
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Minister for Science and Innovation Andrew Powell said the Queensland Government is committed to helping communities across the state improve the health of local waterways.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in these report cards for their dedication to making a difference for all Queenslanders,” Minister Powell said.
“Improving water quality takes a collaborative approach between all levels of government, scientists, industry and the agricultural sector, conservation groups and local communities.
The Queensland Government is proud to support your ongoing efforts with an investment of $1.25 million annually into five regional waterway report card partnerships.
Comments attributable to JCU TropWATER Director, Professor Damien Burrows:
JCU TropWATER Director, Professor Damien Burrows said the Report Card demonstrates the power of collaboration.
“Pooling data and expertise that spans water quality, habitat, hydrology, litter and fish provides a more holistic understanding of our aquatic environments and how they’re responding to pressure from climate, development, and land use,” he said.
“TropWATER also contributes to other Regional Report Cards across the Great Barrier Reef catchment. They’re a valuable tool, giving local governments, land managers and communities the science-backed evidence they need to make informed decisions and improve the quality of water flowing to the Reef.”
