South Esk - Great Lake Water Management Review: Scientific Report on Cataract Gorge

Abstract

Through the Environmental Review and Community Consultation processes of the Water Management Review for the South Esk - Great Lake catchment, a number of issues were identified for Cataract Gorge. The principal issues were: Low flow in the Gorge during the summer when the dam is not spilling. This impacts on recreational use and visual aesthetics, as well as environmental health and water quality; Elevated nutrient concentrations in the South Esk River that may encourage excessive growth of green algae and potentially toxic blue-green algae; Increased bacterial levels in the Gorge that result in closure of the waterway for recreational use (swimming); The presence of a listed threatened species (Beddomeia launcestonensis), which may be impacted by present water management in the Gorge. This report provides information on these issues as well as the results of studies that were undertaken to identify appropriate options to manage these issues. The options that were subsequently identified were then costed and reviewed as part of a cost-benefit analysis covering the whole of the South Esk - Great Lake catchment.