Glenmore Creek

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Subcatchments

Smaller Catchments within the Glenmore Creek Catchment include:

Topography

Vegetation

Riparian Habitat

The following information is summarized from the ACTFR report: Assessing the condition of riparian vegetation in the Burdekin catchment using satellitte imagery and field surveys by Leo Lymburner and John Dowe. 2006. This report can be accessed from the report section below.

iTRARC analysis of Riparian Habitat indicates that this subcatchment was in relatively poor (C+) condition in the 1970s and the condition has worsened to very poor (D) in 2004. This is due to an increase in the amount of gullying and scalding (validated using Google Earth ™) and an increase in the number of gaps in the riparian zone. The field survey scores support this assessment with two very poor sites, one poor, and one good.

more...

Wetlands

The following information is summarized from the ACTFR report: Assessing the condition of Wetlands in the Burdekin catchment using existing GIS and field knowledge for CCI by Mirjam Maughan, Damien Burrows, Barry Butler, Leo Lymburner and George Lukacs. 2006. This report can be accessed from the report section below.

This sub-division is poorly known ecologically, hence the poor degree of confidence. The creeks are generally dry with limited habitat availability, though some waterholes are present in Parrot Creek and this creek was rated highly by Blackman et al. (2002). Condition is not well known though thought to be similar to adjoining sub-divisions that are also dominated by grazing as their land-use.

Glenmore Creek wetland condition summary...

Water

SedNet Modelling of Water Quality

The following statistics are summarized from the CSIRO report: Improved SedNet Modelling of Grazing Lands in the Burdekin Catchment by Kinsey-Henderson, A., Sherman, B. and Bartley, R. 2007. This report can be accessed from the report section below.

Model results for the Glenmore Creek subcatchment are summarized as follows:

Subcatchment modelled area: 1,567 sq. km.

Source contributions: Hillslope = 41%; Gully = 50%; Streambank = 2%

Area of subcatchment with <50% ground cover: 332 sq. km or 21% of subcatchment

Hillslope sediment supply: 258 kg/ha/yr

Total suspended sediment (flow weighted) supply: 92 kt/yr

Total suspended sediment supply (flow weighted; normalized to area): 593kg/ha/yr

Total suspended sediment end-of-subcatchment (flow weighted) yield: 86 kt/yr

Event Mean Concentration (EMC - flow weighted): 763 mg/L

Mean Annual Flow: 112,887 ML

Gully and hillslope erosion are both identified as major sources of sediment and particulate nutrients affecting water quality within the Glenmore Creek sub-catchment (50% & 41% respectively). Extensive gully erosion is reported from Glenmore Creek sub-catchment. Total suspended sediment loss from all sources is predicted to be moderate (593 kg/ha/yr). The event mean concentration of suspended sediment is predicted to be moderately high (763 mg/L).

Water Quality Monitoring

There are no water quality monitoring data available for this catchment.

Relevant information of Water Quality Monitoring in the Bowen Broken Bogie River Basin can be found by following these links:

Environmental Uses and Values

The following summary of environmental uses and values is based on information extracted from the following reports: Social, Economic, Cultural and Environmental Values of Streams and Wetlands in the Burdekin Dry Tropics Region by Greiner, R and Hall, N. 2006 and Burdekin Basin Draft Water Resource Plan by Queensland Dept. of Natural Resources, Mines and Water, 2006, The Greiner and Hall 2006 report may be accessed from the report section below.

Definition of Environmental Values in the Queensland Water Quality Guidelines

Aquatic Ecosystems:

The aquatic ecosystem values of Glenmore Creek subcatchment are poorly known and, while considered to be Slightly to Moderately Disturbed (SMD) as a consequence of the surrounding land use for cattle grazing, the biological communities are thought to remain in a healthy condition and ecosystem integrity is likely to be largely retained. No High Ecological Value (HEV) waters have been identified in the subcatchment.

Glenmore Creek subcatchment draft HEV waters

Stock Watering:

Water supply for production of healthy livestock.

Cultural and Spirtual:

Custodial use of water resources by Birri and Wirri traditional owners.

Landuse

Principle land uses within the Glenmore Creek subcatchment as a proportion of total area:

Grazing: 96.2%

Conservation & minimal use: 3.75%

Water: Limited water activity use identified.

Urban & semi urban: Limited urban and semi urban water activity use identified.

Grazing Land

Glenmore Creek is a relatively small subcatchment where the principle land use is grazing on natural pastures.

Land Condition

Definition of ABCD land condition framework

No data available for Land Condition in the Glenmore Creek sub-catchment.

Ground Cover

No data available for Ground Cover in the Glenmore Creek sub-catchment.

Resource Condition Summary

Glenmore Creek is a relatively small subcatchment where the principle land use is grazing on natural pastures. Less than 4% of the land area is set aside for conservation and minimal use. Riparian habitat in the subcatchment has declined over the last 30 years due to clearing of vegetation along the main streams and tributories, and increased gullying and scalding on floodplains. The catchment was in quite poor (C) condition in the 1970s, but by 2004 its condition had declined to very poor (D). Field survey scores support this assessment. Rosella Creek is a largely sandy, dry seasonal creek system with limited habitat availability, although some waterholes are present in Parrot Creek. However, very little is known about the ecology and condition of aquatic habitats.

Gully and hillslope erosion are both identified by models as major sources of sediment and particulate nutrients affecting water quality in the Glenmore Creek subcatchment. The rate of soil erosion is predicted to be moderate, but below the basin average, while the total soil loss from the subcatchment is quite low compared to other basin subcatchments. No rapid assessment data for land condition and ground cover are available for the subcatchment. Analysis of ground cover from satelite imagery (reference) identifies areas of low ground cover and high vulnerability to 'D' condition in the vicinity of Parrot Creek and the lower reaches and tributories of Glenmore Creek. Extensive gully erosion is reported from the Glenmore Creek subcatchment.

Water quality in the Glenmore Creek subcatchment is predicted by models to be moderately impacted by suspended sediment during wet season flow events, with elevated concentrations at the end-of-subcatchment. There are no water quality monitoring data, however, with which to compare the modelled concentrations and loads.

Draft Environmental Values

The aquatic ecosystem values of the Glenmore Creek subcatchment are poorly known and, while considered to be Slightly to Moderately Disturbed (SMD) as a consequence of the surrounding land use for cattle grazing, the biological communities are thought to remain in a healthy condition and ecosystem integrity is likely to be largely retained. No High Ecological Value (HEV) waters have been identified in the subcatchment. Little is known about the human use Environmental Values of water in the subcatchment, which are thought to be limited to use for stock watering and the cultural and spiritual values of the Birri and Wirri traditional owners.