Coastal and Marine Pollution

Search:

Skip Navigation

The Coastal Catchments Initiative

The Coastal Catchments Initiative (CCI) is a national programme designed to improve and protect water quality in coastal water quality hotspots, by promoting competent water quality planning. It is the primary vehicle for delivering the Australian Government's commitment to achieving significant reductions in the discharge of pollutants to agreed water quality hotspots. The hotspots have been identified through agreement with the relevant jurisdictions.

Rollout of the CCI, to be undertaken in collaboration with State agencies and Natural Resource bodies is through the development of water quality improvement plans for the coastal hotspots.

The plans, prepared consistent with the Framework for Marine and Estuarine Water Quality Protection, will amongst other matters identify the most cost-effective and timely projects for investment by all parties - including the Australian Government, State and Local Governments, and community and environment groups.

A draft water quality improvement plan will be accredited by the Australian Government and the relevant State or local government, thereby forming an agreed approach to achieving pollutant reductions.

The Framework builds upon key elements of the National Water Quality Management Strategy (NWQMS) and the National Principles for the Provision of Water for Ecosystems. The key features of the Framework include:

• the environmental values of the coastal water;
• the catchment that discharges to that coastal water;
• the water quality issues (eg algal blooms, sedimentation, high coliform concentrations causing beach closures) and subsequent water quality objectives;
• the load reductions of pollutant/s to be achieved to attain and maintain the water quality objectives;
• the setting of the maximum load of pollutant/s against diffuse and point sources of pollution;
• the river flow objectives to protect identified environmental values, having regard for matters such as natural low flows, flow variability, floodplain inundation, interactions with water quality and the maintenance of estuarine processes and habitats;
• management measures, timelines and costs in implementing the plan; and
• the grounds for a "reasonable assurance" from jurisdictions to provide security for investments to achieve and maintain the specified pollutant load reduction and environmental flow targets.

Relevant releases

• Integrated Approaches: The National Water Quality Management Strategy and the Coastal Catchments Initiative - Case Study
• Reef Water Quality Protection Plan

Further information

Kim Forbes
Water Quality Section
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
(02) 6274 2334
kim.forbes@environment.gov.au