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Results
Catchment Results
Noosa River Catchment and Estuary
Noosa-catchment-map
Catchment Facts
  • Total area: 854km2
  • Stream network length: 1,505km
  • Local Councils: Noosa (pop. 45,831), Maroochy (pop. 142,836)
  • Dominant land uses: native bush, conservation area, grazing
  • Headwaters/upper catchment located in Great Sandy National Park
  • The Noosa River is a largely intact coastal lagoon system
  • No point sources discharge into the Noosa River
  • Urban areas concentrated around lower estuarine reaches and occupy less than 3% of the total catchment; extensive land clearing around the populated areas
Freshwater results
B Noosa Catchment  
  • Streams generally in good condition
  • The largest change since last year was a reduction in scores for the ecosystem processes indicator 
  • Physical/chemical indicator scores remain high
Estuarine results
A- Noosa Estuary  
  • Lower inorganic nutrients in the middle and upper reaches compared to 2006
  • Lower freshwater inputs from the catchment resulting in higher salinity levels upstream compared with 2006
  • Intact seagrass meadows and natural riparian habitat throughout much of the estuary