Water
Welcome to the LEC water page.
Water is the key campaign focus of the LEC. We are focusing our work on water efficiency and quality.
Our water quality work is conducted by the Northern Waterway Assessment, a partnership between the LEC and NRM North.
Our water efficiency campaign is called Tassie WaterSavers.
Northern Waterway Assessment
Northern Waterway Assessment is a partnership between NRM North and the Launceston Environment Centre through funding received under the Australian
Government’s Natural Heritage Trust.
The program was initiated to determine the state of water resources throughout northern Tasmania and to monitor and evaluate the results of on-ground actions
taken to improve the condition of the environment.
It also recognised that establishing and supporting volunteer involvement in water quality monitoring is a successful way of encouraging community awareness
and participation in actions to improve the health of rivers and wetlands.
The Northern Water Monitoring Program was established with the objectives of:
• Supporting the identification and delivery of NRM objectives and outcomes by establishing a strategic water quality and stream health monitoring program in
the Northern Tasmanian region;
• Providing water quality information for the identification of NRM targets and establishing a core component of the monitoring and evaluation framework for
the region; and
• Supporting the capacity of the community to participate in the regional strategic water quality monitoring program, and take action towards achieving on
ground NRM outcomes.
The major outputs for the Northern Waterway Assessment are:
• A strategic water quality monitoring program which complements DPIW monitoring and collects data towards identifying relevant Resource Condition Targets,
Management Action Targets, and agreed matters for target relevant to NRM North;
• The realignment of all community water quality monitoring undertaken in the region to national standards and targets, and to the national monitoring and
evaluation framework;
• A greater return on previous investment in the Waterwatch network by incorporating it into the regional water quality monitoring program and by increasing
its capacity to deliver high quality, consistent and accurate data that will significantly assist NRM planning, monitoring and evaluation;
• An annual report on the quality of the Northern Region’s surface water resources, drawing on available data.
Summary of Progress
For the latest up-to-date information on the water monitoring program please download our most current newsletter - (as a pdf file).
Establishment of a Regional Strategic Monitoring Network
The NWMP has established a strategic, region-wide water monitoring program at 55 sites. The locations of these sites complement the monitoring undertaken by
DPIW and organisations such as local councils, the community and Hydro Tasmania. The NWMP also carries out surface water monitoring at 29 sites and groundwater
monitoring at 19 sites on Flinders and Cape Barren Islands.
Realignment of Community Monitoring
In partnership with DPIW, the NWMP team has developed a Framework for Monitoring and Reporting. This includes protocols for ensuring Quality Assurance /
Quality Control (QA/QC) and Occupational Health and Safety. Data collected by the NWMP is coded to reflect its accuracy via a system complementary to that
used by DPIW, which enables it to be placed in a state database. Proceed to view or download the
Framework.
The Report
As a major output for the Northern Water Monitoring Program this report aims to:
• Bring together and summarise water quality and stream condition data collected by different agencies in Northern Tasmania;
• Provide an indication of the water quality and river health of catchments within the NRM North region; and Identify catchments with sites in poor condition
as well as catchments with sites in relatively pristine condition that can be used for future benchmarking. Click here to download the
executive summary of the report - (2mb in file size), or
contact us so we can send out a CD ROM with the full report.
How to get involved
The Water Monitoring Program can not succeed without the help of the local community. View or download the
Northern Water Monitoring Program brochure to find out how you can get
involved.
Alternatively, contact the team on (03) 6331 8558.
Tassie Water Savers 
Tassie WaterSavers is an initiative of the Launceston Environment Centre to make northern and north-eastern Tasmania a world leader in water management.It is a positive, pro-active campaign that provides educational services to the community on how they can reduce their water use by 15% and identifies what policies are needed to make water conservation in Tasmania a priority.
:: IMPORTANT ::
• The Launceston Environment Centre campaign to reduce water consumption in Tasmania’s north by 15% is under threat from the proposal to build a pulp mill near
Launceston.
• Any water saving initiatives you implement at home will be a waste of time if the government and upper house approves the mill.
• For example, to save 34 million litres of water use a year in Launceston we would have to install 3000 low flow shower heads in houses across the city.
• That is a big effort which would be a complete waste of time when you consider the proposed pulp mill will use 500 million litres a week!
• If you want to be a true Tassie WaterSaver encourage your Member of the Legislative Chamber to vote against the proposed mill.
• Contact details of those who can stop the mill at a state level are listed below.
Tasmanian Members of the Legislative Council:
Michael Aird MLC - michael.aird@parliament.tas.gov.au
Kerry Finch MLC - kerry.finch@parliament.tas.gov.au
Ivan Dean MLC - ivan.dean@parliament.tas.gov.au
Ruth Forrest MLC - ruth.forrest@parliament.tas.gov.au
Greg Hall MLC - greg.hall@parliament.tas.gov.au
Paul Harriss MLC - paul.harriss@parliament.tas.gov.au
Norma Jamieson MLC - norma.jamieson@parliament.tas.gov.au
Terry Martin MLC - terry.martin@parliament.tas.gov.au
Doug Parkinson MLC - doug.parkinson@parliament.tas.gov.au
Tania Rattray-Wagner MLC - tania.rattray-wagner@parliament.tas.gov.au
Sue Smith MLC - sue.smith@parliament.tas.gov.au
Allison Ritchie MLC - allison.ritchie@parliament.tas.gov.au
Lin Thorp MLC - lin.thorp@parliament.tas.gov.au
Jim Wilkinson MLC - jim.wilkinson@parliament.tas.gov.au
Don Wing MLC - don.wing@parliament.tas.gov.au
To find out more, please follow the link:
Tassie WaterSaver Under Threat - (pdf 312kb)
Four reasons to become a Tassie WaterSaver
1. Climate Change and water:
Tasmania is not immune from climate change and models show the north and north-east of the state will become drier. Add to that, the region is in the grip of a
1 in 100 year drought which will intensify over the summer.
Climate change means less water for our region so making savings now will ensure the hard landing of a new climate is a little softer for all of us and the
environment.
Follow this link for the latest climate change
predictions for Tasmania’s north
2. Industrial expansion, land use change and population growth:
Changing land use, such as the conversion of grazing land into plantations can reduce the amount of water entering into our rivers, creeks and groundwater.
View the report commissioned by the Launceston City
Council examining the impact on flows into the North Esk River from land use change or
download the full report - (file size is 4.6mb).
Industrial expansion in our region is a thirsty business. If approved , the proposed pulp mill in the Tamar Valley will use the same amount of water that would
fill 27,000 Olympic sized swimming pools.
The more the population grows in Tasmania the more water will be used in gardens, bathrooms and kitchens.
3. Saving you money:
The price of water delivered by Esk Water is now 56c per thousand litres so saving water will save you money.
4. Environmental flows:
The more water we save, the more water there is for the environment. We should look to our mainland cousins and learn by the terrible mistakes they have made
to make sure our waterways do not suffer the same fate as the Murray-Darling system.
Keeping our rivers healthy ensure we maintain a healthy eco-system, maintain economic activity and promote social well being.
Reduced water flows in rivers and creeks can encourage weed growth, starve wetlands of water, kill riparian vegetation, alter breeding patterns of our native
fish and birds and cause toxic algal blooms.
And it is not only the river that suffers. Siltation can build in estuaries meaning local communities have to pay for expensive dredging works. Dunes that
protect the coast from storm and tidal activity are not replenished leaving our coastal communities and beaches vulnerable to erosion.
Healthy rivers are also important recreation areas for our communities and assist tourism.
As the Murray-Darling Basin is now clearly demonstrating, a healthy river system is also essential to the agricultural sector.
How to be a Tassie WaterSaver
Being a Tassie WaterSaver is easy! It is about taking practical steps to save water. It’s not just about talking, it’s about doing.
By sharing information and then taking action we can reduce water consumption in northern Tasmania!
Go on, download the Tassie WaterSaver brochures and start saving water right now!
• Saving Water in the Home - view online brochure (276Kb)
• Saving Water in the Garden - view online brochure (276Kb)
Stormwater harvesting!
Launceston is in a great position to harvest stormwater.
The original planners of Launceston implemented a dual water system where both sewage and stormwater are collected together.
This presents Launceston with an amazing opportunity to use captured stormwater in our industry, farms, parks and gardens.
Treated stormwater could be directed to all new subdivisions where it could be used to water gardens, clean cars and flush the loo.
Treated stormwater could be used by industry, such as directing harvested stormwater to the proposed pulp mill.
Or, the farming community could benefit with the introduction of a stormwater irrigation area in Tasmania’s north.
For our region to be a world leader in water management, we need to do some of these things and make use of the stormwater we capture in our homes, gardens
and businesses.
Download (this will be available soon) our fact sheet on stormwater harvesting
Policy Development
There are important policy changes that need to be made in Tasmania to improve how we use and manage our water resources.
The LEC is currently working with the Environmental Defenders Office looking at the current state of play with regards to Tasmanian legislation and water
issues, such as, the use of grey water recycling systems in urban environments. We will publish that advice when we receive it after Christmas.
Education, Education, Education
Register your club, association, school or business for a Tassie WaterSaver presentation. If you are interested, please register, or if you need further information - contact us, and we will meet with you to organize the Tassie WaterSaver presentation.
Demonstration Sites
The LEC is currently seeking partners for developing the following demonstration sites: -
1. Retrofit one of Launceston’s historic buildings:
The LEC is looking for a partner in Launceston’s CBD to apply for funding to retrofit an historic building to a five star water efficient standard! If you are
interested, please register your interest.
2. Waterless Gardens:
Do you have a waterless garden in Launceston? If you do, we would love to hear from you. Please let us know by
contacting us.