Burdekin River

ASIAN PACIFIC FRIEND

Burdekin River

Map of the River

Map of the river

AUSLIG, Australia’s National Mapping Agency

Table of Basic Data

Name: Burdekin River		Serial No: Australia - 1
Location: North Queensland, Australia	E144° 0' - 149° 0'	S18° 0'- 25° 0'
Area: 130 000km2	Length of the main stream: 732km
Origin: Seaview (745m), Gorge Ranges (926m)	Highest Pt: Commissioners Cap, Great Dividing Range (1028m)
Outlet: Coral Sea, South Pacific Ocean	Lowest Pt: River mouth at sea level (0m)
Main Base Rocks: Pre-Cambrian to Cainozoic; Mudstone, Granite, Alluvium, Gravels and Conglomerate, Limestone, Sandstone, Siltstone.
Main tributaries: Clarke River (6760km2), Star River (1990km2) Basalt River (2900km2), Suttor River (73 700km2), Belyando River (tributary of the Suttor River) 35 720km2), Bowen-Broken River (9530km2), Bogie River (2250km2)
Main reservoirs: Burdekin Falls Dam (1860 x106m3, 1987), Eungella Dam, (131x106m3, 1969)
Mean annual precipitation: 670mm	Mean annual runoff: 322m3/s (at Clare, 1951-1992)
Population: 23 400 (1991),(Main towns only)	Main towns: Charters Towers, Ayr, Home Hill, Collinsville
Land Use: Grazing (beef) 95%, Agriculture (sugar cane, maize, vegetables) 4%,. Mining (coal, gold), 1% (1991)

1.1 General Description

The Burdekin River is located in the drier part of the tropics on Queensland's east coast. Diverse landscapes are represented in this catchment (basin). There is a high variability of rainfall within any one year, and from year to year. The average annual precipitation for the catchment is 670mm. The catchment is 130 000km2 in area and approximately 732km long. The Burdekin River has its source in the Seaview and Gorge Ranges and flows 550km south-east to a latitude of approximately S20° 40'. The river then changes direction to flow a further 150km in a northerly direction then turns almost due east before discharging into the Pacific Ocean at Ayr. The coastal plains are narrow and discontinuous, but widen toward the lower reaches. The maximum width of the coastal region is 56km and lies within the delta plain - an area that is prone to widespread flooding.

Beef cattle is the most widespread form of grazing and is a major industry in the upper Burdekin region with much of the available land used for this purpose. Irrigated crop production in this region is generally restricted to small scale operations for the purpose of providing feed for cattle. Mining of gold and coal continues to have a major influence in the region's economy. Agricultural development in the delta is predominantly sugarcane.

The Burdekin River has one of the most diverse fish populations of all Queensland rivers. Protection of the fish and invertebrate fauna relies on the maintenance of the various ecosystems along the river. The Queensland Government has recognised that future weir development in the Burdekin River should include consideration of fish populations from an ecological viewpoint and as a recreational resource.

The Burdekin Falls Dam, completed in 1987, has a storage capacity of 1860 x 106 m3. The Dam forms Lake Dalrymple, covering an area of 22 400 hectares and ponds water for 50 kilometres up the Burdekin River.

2. Geographical Information

2.1 Land Use Map

Land use map

AUSLIG, Australia’s National Mapping Agency

2.2 Characteristics of the River and the Main Tributaries

No	Name of river	Length [km] Catchment Area [km2]	Highest Peak [m] Lowest Point [m]	Cities population [1991]	Land use [%]
1	Burdekin River (Main River)	732 130 000	Commissioners Cap (1028) Sea level (0)	Ayr (8637) Home Hill (3197) Charters Towers (9016)	G(95%), A(4%) U&M(1%)
2	Clarke River (Tributary)	190 6470	1012 400		G(100%)
3	Star River (Tributary)	81 2010	Paluma Range (1030) 365		G(100%)
4	Basalt River (Tributary)	160 2900	857 300		G(100%)
5	Suttor River (Tributary)	337 73 303	Denham Range (590) 150		G(100%)
6	Belyando River (Tributary of the Suttor R)	393 35 720	Drummond Range (680) 200		G(100%)
7	Bowen-Broken River (Tributary)	208 9530	Clarke Range (950) 50	Collinsville (2552)	G(90%), M(10%)
8	Bogie River (Tributary)	130 2250	720 45		G(100%)

A: Agriculture (sugar cane), F: Forest, G: Grazing (cattle), M: Mining, U: Urban.

2.3 Longitudinal Profiles

3. Climatological Information

3.1 Annual Isohyetal Map and Observation Stations

Annual rainfall map

Based on the data of Department of Primary Industries, Water Resources, Queensland Isohyetal map was made by interpolating 42 long term stations in the catchment between 1920-1969 taking into account topography and synoptic variations.

3.2 List of Meteorological Observation Stations

The table of meteorological stations below is a selection of the main stations in the catchment.

No.	Station	Elevation [m]	Location	Observation period	Mean annual precipitation [mm]		Estimated Mean annual evaporation [mm]		Observation items 1)
030040	Pentland	403	S20° 31' E145° 24'	1885-1993	673		2210		P
030052	Wando Vale	560	S19° 40' E144° 53'	1890-1993	675		2200		P
030082	Gregory Springs	732	S19° 43' E144° 23'	1927-1993	735		2300		P(TSP)
030083	Toomba	380	S19° 58' E145° 35'	1960-1993	620		2110		P
030137	Hillgrove	300	S19° 38' E145° 47'	1899-1993	544		2100		P
032040	Townsville	4	S19° 15' E146° 46'	1940-1993	1137		2395		T, P, E, SR, DS
032063	Blue Range	348	S19° 10' E145° 25'	1953-1993	681		2050		P(TSP)
032064	Paluma	892	S19° 00' E146° 12'	1969-1993	2618		2000		P(TSP)
032122	Greenvale	427	S18° 59' E145° 07'	1890-1993	643		2150		P
033001	Ayr	11	S19° 34' E14° 24'	1886-1993	1083		2071		T, P, E, DS
033013	Collinsville	187	S20° 30' E147° 13'	1939-1993	726		1931		T,P(TSP),E
033032	Home Hill	20	S19° 40' E147° 25'	1924-1993	952		2130
033051	Mingela	289	S19° 53' E146° 38'	1899-1993	655		2050		P
033062	Ravenswood	249	S20° 06' E146° 53'	1871-1993	683		2000		P
033090	Millaroo	45	S20° 03' E147° 16'	1965-1985 1991-1993	841		1841		T, P, E, DS
033122	Clare	26	S19° 47' E147° 13'	1895-1993	833		2100		P
033139	Paynes Lagoon	305	S19° 28' E146° 07'	1969-1993	593		2100		P
033205	Dalbeg	60	S20° 16' E147° 18'	1954-1993	764		1980		P
033227	Havilah	140	S20° 48' E147° 50'	1935-1993	637		1980		P
034000	Balfes Creek	327	S20° 13' E145° 55'	1889-1993	630		2120		P
034002	Charters Towers	310	S20° 05' E146° 16'	1882-1992	660		2035		T, P, E
034006	Mt Coolon	240	S21° 23' E147° 20'	1925-1993	580		2000		P
034007	Mt McConnell	457	S20° 48' E146° 59'	1899-1993	647		2050		P
034017	Broadleigh Downs	244	S20° 55' E146° 11'	1962-1993	614		2150		P
034020	Wollombi	274	S21° 21' E147° 50'	1965-1993	516		2000		P
034022	Mt Douglas	170	S21° 31' E146° 53'	1912-1993	603		2140		P
034049	Doongara	300	S20° 34' E146° 29'	1968-1993	652		2120		P
034085	Sellheim	240	S20° 01' E146° 25'	1897-1993	613			2050			P
034087	Scartwater	190	S21° 06' E146° 53'	1949-1993	609			2100			P
035000	Alpha	350	S23° 39' E146° 38'	1886-1993	564			2350			P(TSP)
035094	Carrols Creek	305	S22° 30' E147° 31'	1962-1993	584			2170			P
035275	Islay Plains	300	S23° 13' E146° 53'	1988-1993	596			2310			P
036010	Bulliwallah	305	S21° 57' E146° 38'	1912-1993	601			2200			P
036050	Ulcanbah	270	S22° 02' E145° 59'	1887-1993	559			2320			P
036055	Dunrobin	340	S22° 41' E146° 09'	1972-1993	511			2360			P
036071	Moray Downs	210	S21° 37' E146° 38'	1914-1993	563			2230			P
036083	Albro	255	S22° 42' E146° 34'	1970-1993	573			2300			P
036089	Bygana	270	S22° 12' E146° 33'	1946-1993	581			2290			P
036159	Beresford	280	S22° 30' E146° 56'	1987-1993	471	2260				P
036160	Frankfield	240	S22° 16' E147° 06'	1987-1993	541	2200				P

All rainfall stations shown are operated by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

1) T: Temperature    P: Precipitation    TB = tipping bucket with digital data logger
    TSP = tilting syphon pluviograph with recording chart   E: Evaporation
    SR: Solar radiation    DS: Duration of sunshine

3.3 Monthly Climate Data

The tables below show climatic data for selected stations in and adjacent to the Burdekin catchment.

The Townsville station is just outside the catchment but is included because of the full range of data recorded.

Station: Townsville (Station 032040)

Observation parameter	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual	Period for the mean
Temperature [° C]	27.6	27.1	26.6	25.0	22.4	19.9	19.2	20.4	22.3	25.0	26.8	27.7	24.2	1941-93
Precipitation [mm]	274	291	205	66	37	22	15	12	11	23	54	127	1137	1940-93
Evaporation [mm]	257	226	217	202	174	158	164	195	248	282	291	285	2700	1970-73
Solar radiation [MJ/m2/day]	21.4	20.0	20.0	17.2	15.2	14.7	15.8	18.2	22.0	24.3	24.6	23.4	19.7	1971-91
Duration of sunshine [hrs]	242	223	229	239	226	245	260	282	295	304	291	276	3112	1958-93

Station: Ayr (Station 033001)

Observation parameter	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual	Period for the mean
Temperature [° C]	27.4	27.0	26.0	24.2	21.9	20.4	18.2	19.4	21.4	23.7	25.8	26.9	23.6	1952-93
Precipitation [mm]	264	262	186	63	38	32	19	15	21	23	44	116	1083	1886-1993
Evaporation [mm]	205	192	177	155	130	118	124	146	167	211	223	223	2071	1970-93
Duration of sunshine [hrs]	248	220	220	226	223	236	248	267	279	291	273	264	2995	1965-93

Station: Collinsville (Station 033013)

Observation parameter	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual	Period for the mean
Temperature [° C]	27.3	27.1	25.8	23.4	20.4	17.5	16.7	18.6	21.4	24.5	26.7	27.3	23.1		1956-81 1991-93
Precipitation [mm]	136	155	107	46	37	27	22	14	11	21	53	97	726		1939-93
Evaporation [mm]	189	180	167	146	112	90	102	133	167	205	223	217	1931		1972-93

Station: Millaroo (Station 033090)

Observation parameter	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual	Period for the mean
Temperature [° C]	28.1	27.4	26.4	24.2	21.4	18.3	17.7	19.5	21.7	24.2	26.8	27.5	23.6	1965-85 1991-93
Precipitation [mm]	191	165	127	49	47	20	16	10	9	25	57	125	841	1953-93
Evaporation [mm]	180	161	152	130	109	96	105	130	158	195	214	211	1841	1970-85 1991-93
Duration of sunshine [hrs]	233	217	214	229	229	245	254	267	282	295	291	254	3010	1965-85 1991-93

Station: Charters Towers (Station 034002)

Observation parameter	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual	Period for the mean
Temperature [° C]	28.0	27.4	26.1	24.0	21.1	18.4	17.8	20.0	22.1	25.1	27.2	28.0	23.8	1907-92
Precipitation [mm]	137	130	104	43	24	27	17	13	15	22	41	87	660	1882-1992
Evaporation [mm]	210	170	175	150	130	105	115	140	170	210	230	230	2035	1970-92

Evaporation pan used: - US Class A (48 inch dia)

3.4 Long-term variation of Monthly Precipitation Series

Graphs of two long term precipitation series are shown below:

a) Alpha (Station 035000)

b) Charters Towers (Station 034002)

Plot of monthly precipitation

4. Hydrological Information

4.1 Map of Streamflow Observation Stations

(Map is missing)

4.2 List of Hydrological Observation Stations

The table of hydrological stations below is a selection of the main stations in the catchment.

No.	Station	Location	Elevation [m]	Catchment area (A) [km2]	Observation period	Observation items 1)
120001	Burdekin River at Home Hill	S19° 40' E147° 21'	3	130 000	1922-1956	H2, Q
120002	Burdekin River at Sellheim	S20° 00' E146° 26'	215	36 400	1947-1968 1968-1994	H2, Q H1, Q
120004	Burdekin River at Falls (D/S)	S20° 39' E147° 09'	120	114 220	1948-1967 1967-1985	H2, Q H1, Q
120006	Burdekin River at Clare	S19° 46' 147° 15'	9	129 500	1950-1975 1975-1994	H2, Q H1, Q
120008	Burdekin River at Dalbeg	S20° 19' E147° 18'	34	126 000	1954-1975 1975-1994	H2, Q H1, Q
120010	Burdekin River at 64.4km	S19° 58' E147° 15'	19	129 000	1959-1986	H1, Q
120015	Burdekin River at Hydro Site	S20° 38' E147° 10'	79	114 000	1977-1994	H1, Q
120101	Burdekin River at Charters Towers	S19° 58' E146° 18'	227	35 000	1915-1952	H2, Q
120105	Clarke River at Telegraph Station	S19° 13' E145° 26'	344	6720	1949-1975	H2, Q
120107	Burdekin River at Blue Range	S19° 10' E145° 25'	348	10 500	1952-1982 1982-1989	H2, Q H1, Q
120110	Burdekin River at Mount Fullstop	S19° 12' E145° 30'	336	17 420	1965-1990	H1, Q
120111	Burdekin River at Lucky Downs	S18° 53' E144° 58'	11	6130	1967-1988	H1, Q
120112	Star River at Laroona	S19° 23' E146° 03'	295	1205	1967-1989	H1, Q
120121	Burdekin River at Lake Lucy Dam Site	S18° 31' E145° 11'	22	2270	1973-1994	H1, Q
120205	Bowen River at Myuna	S20° 35' E147° 36'	83	7200	1960-1990	H1, Q
120207	Broken River at Urannah	S20° 55' E148° 19'	221	1100	1962-1993	H1, Q
120209	Bowen River at 89km	S20° 45' E147° 53'	116	4660	1964-1990	H1, Q
120214	Broken River at Mount Sugarloaf	S20° 50' E148° 08'	150	2280	1969-1993	H1, Q
120299	Bowen River at Pump Station	S20° 45' E147° 57'	118	4495	1968-1991	H1, Q
120301	Belyando River at Gregory Dev Rd	S21° 32' E146° 52'	172	35 530	1949-1976 1976-1993	H2, Q H1, Q
120302	Cape River at Inland Highway	S21° 00' E146° 26'	186	15 850	1948-1968 1968-1994	H2, Q H1, Q
120303	Suttor River at St Annes	S21° 14' E146° 55'	20	49 800	1948-1967 1967-1994	H2, Q H1, Q

1) H1: water level in recording chart or data logger
H2: water level by manual reading (normally daily).
Q: discharge

The table below is a list of summary statistics for the selected stations.

No.

[m3/s]

[m3/s/100km2]

Cv 5)

Period of statistics

No.120001

292

40 400

10 500

0.992

0.23

31.1

0.86

1922-1956

120002

143

23 300

6 210

0.412

0.39

64.0

1.15

1948-1992*

120004

297

29 900

9 780

0.987

0.26

26.2

1.17

1968-1984

120006

322

36 000

11 600

0.720

0.25

27.7

1.05

1951-1992

120008

257

39 300

8 980

2.55

0.20

31.2

1.03

1955-1992*

120010

268

26 300

8 410

1.03

0.21

20.4

1.20

1960-1986

120015

142

13 400

4 320

0.658

0.12

11.8

0.99

1978-1992

120101

100

25 700

5 480

0.020

0.29

73.4

0.91

1922-1949*

120105

23.8

7 560

2 010

0.35

112.5

0.91

1950-1971*

120107

37.8

8 450

2 110

0.410

0.36

80.5

1.17

1953-1987*

120110

59.7

9 600

2 970

0.387

0.34

55.1

1.25

1966-1988

120111

21.9

3 300

1 100

0.769

0.36

53.8

1.20

1968-1987

120112

12.8

8 640

1 590

1.06

717

1.06

1968-1988

120121

12.4

1 600

474

0.004

0.55

70.5

1.29

1974-1988

120205

24.6

15 200

2 690

0.082

0.34

211

0.93

1961-1989

120207

10.8

3 820

1 120

0.159

0.98

347

0.87

1963-1992*

120209

21.7

12 600

2 690

0.157

0.47

270

0.94

1965-1989

120214

21.0

9 400

2 510

0.215

0.92

412

0.90

1970-1992*

120299

29.2

5 750

2 680

0.191

0.65

128

0.80

1969-1982

120301

28.0

2 040

698

0.008

0.08

5.74

1.05

1950-1989*

120302

26.2

2 770

1 020

0.17

17.5

1.18

1949-1993*

120303

57.8

10 100

1 720

0.12

58.0

1.15

1968-1993

1) mean annual discharge
2) maximum discharge
3) mean annual maximum discharge
4) mean annual minimum discharge
5) coefficient of variation of annual total discharge
Note: * indicates missing data in some years. These years were excluded from the statistical analyses.

Details of missing data for each station are; 120002: 1953-54; 120008: 1973-75; 120101: 1923-24 & 1941-48; 120105: 1969-70, 120107: 1982; 120207: 1990-1991; 120214: 1990-91 120301: 1958 & 1969-76; 120302: 1957-68.

4.3 Long-term Variation of Monthly Discharge Series

Graphs of two long term discharge series are shown below:

a) Burdekin River at Home Hill (Station 120001)

Plot of monthly discharge

b) Burdekin River at Clare (Station 120006)

Plot of monthly discharge

4.4 Annual Pattern of Discharge Series

Graphs of the discharge series for a selected year and the flow duration curve for the Burdekin River at Clare (Station 120006) are shown below:

a) Discharge series for 1968

b) Flow duration curve

4.5 Unique Hydrological Features

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Townsville is currently involved in the recovery of past hydrological data by utilising the fluorescent properties of coral samples taken from the Great Barrier Reef.

The development of an underwater drilling rig by AIMS has enabled coral core samples of greater than 6 metres in length to be obtained from massive Porites corals. When taken from corals growing within approximately 50 kilometres of the shore, these samples exhibit bands of organic compound (fulvic acid) that are displayed as yellow-green fluorescence when exposed to long-wave ultraviolet light. It is suggested that these bands are the result of decaying plant matter that was deposited on the coral dome by nearby river outlets.

The yellow-green bands occur in the high density sections of the coral skeleton which are usually deposited in the summer or monsoon season. In the more recent coral deposits, fluctuations in the density of these sections have corresponded to documented El Niño episodes. In the western Pacific, El Niño episodes are indicative of dry or poor wet seasons.

AIMS have also developed an analytical instrument that is able to extract fluorescence data with a temporal resolution of 20 days. The process passes 700-800mm long slices of coral 7mm thick through a fluoromicrodensiometer and exposes them to a far ultraviolet (360mm wavelength) source. An ultraviolet light-stable uranyl glass block is used as a calibration standard, and the resultant fluorescence is recorded at 0.5mm intervals along the coral core.

Analysis of the outflow plume from the Burdekin River has shown that the principal plume track is in a northerly direction over the Pandora and Magnetic Island Reefs. However, because the Magnetic Island Reef is also subject to direct runoff from Magnetic Island and the core sample is relatively short, most of the study has concentrated on the Pandora Reef core.

The Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Water Resources, Business Group (formerly the Queensland Water Resourece Commission) has supported AIMS by conducting preliminary and further studies of coral core samples. The fluorescence data obtained has been compared with historical rainfall and streamflow records, namely from the Clare and Home Hill gauging stations, to determine the quality of the relationship. Results to date indicate a high degree of correlation between the two sets of data. Analysis is continuing on establishing the form of a transfer function or model for the estimation of streamflow data from fluorescence data. Future studies will involve the analysis of longer term data sets and the examination of a shorter (monthly) time step.

Coral core sample of 6 metres in length may contain up to 800 years of weather history. Thus, the corals contain a veritable data-bank of Australian hydrological data for many centuries past. The research also has potential application in many of the tropical west Pacific countries where cyclones and destructive floods are a regular summer hazard and long term data on such occurrences are scarce.

4.6 Annual Maximum and Minimum Discharges

The table summarises annual maximum and minimum discharges for the Burdekin River at Clare (Station 120006).

Year	Maximum		Minimum		Year	Maximum		Minimum
	Date	Discharge [m3/s]	Month	Discharge [m3/s]		Date	Discharge [m3/s]	Month	Discharge [m3/s]
1951	1.12	15 900	11/12	0	1972	1.11	26 100	12	0
1952	1.25	1 600	1/9-11	0	1973	12.20	5 800	1	0
1953	2.15	13 300	11/12	0	1974	1.23	26 600	11/12	5.14
1954	2.8	20 300	1	0	1975	1.18	6 750	9	4.95
1955	3.19	19 500	12	0.32	1976	2.10	5 990	10	1.96
1956	3.9	17 700	1	6.20	1977	3.11	7 110	11	0.14
1957	1.11	2 180	12	0	1978	2.1	15 300	10	0.98
1958	4.3	36 000	1/12	0	1079	3.12	12 800	12	0
1959	2.17	19 100	10	0.29	1980	1.7	9 910	11	0.39
1960	3.15	2 580	10/11	0	1981	1.23	11 530	10	1.96
1961	1.6	1 950	10/11	0	1982	1.28	899	10	0.05
1962	3.10	1 470	9-11	0	1983	5.2	12 400	3	0.02
1963	4.8	5 030	12	0.18	1984	2.21	3 840	10	0.27
1964	2.13	2 440	9	0	1985	3.16	1 160	10	0.11
1965	3.14	3 620	9-12	0	1986	2.5	5 440	12	1.12
1966	1.29	2 700	5-9	0	1987	12.31	922	9	2.34
1967	3.11	2 460	10	0	1988	3.2	10 000	6	1.34
1968	2.17	26 000	11/12	0	1989	4.5	14 900	9	10.48
1969	12.29	515	7-12	0	1990	12.28	7 560	1	6.59
1970	1.20	17 200	9/10	0	1991	2.4	29 800	7	3.39
1971	12.26	12 300	12	0	1992	12.6	672	3	3.34

4.7 Hyetographs and Hydrographs of Major Floods

flood hydrograph

NOTE: The hydrograph at the Burdekin Dam has not been shown on the figure below. The following information was sourced from Fleming and Loofs, 1991.

During major runoff-producing events, the Burdekin River rarely, if ever, responds as a simple catchment. Most major floods have been generated by the passage of tropical cyclones coupled with local topographic effects, particularly during the heaviest rainfall events. The unpredictable nature of major events in the Burdekin catchment is highlighted by the flood events of January/February 1991.

The Bowen-Broken River system is so placed that it produces topographic enhancement of rainfalls. Further, it is in a naturally high rainfall region and so in most wet seasons has a high level of antecedent wetness (Fleming, et. al., 1981). The hydrograph peak at Clare on January 3rd follows immediately from a hyetograph peak at Collinsville (station 033013) which is located on the lower reaches of the Bowen River. As there was no corresponding hydrograph peak at the dam, most of the streamflow at Clare would have originated from the Bowen-Broken River system. This basin, on its own or in conjunction with other basins, has contributed to a majority of significant flood events (Fleming, et. al., 1981).

Heavy rainfall in the upper Burdekin, as shown by the Greenvale hyetograph, and Cape-Campaspe catchments that started on January 8th and continued for a week resulted in the peak flow at Sellheim on the 13th and a corresponding large steady flow over the dam. As the combined flows at Sellheim and St. Anne's do not add up to the flow over the dam, most of the runoff must have originated from the Cape-Campaspe catchment.

A tropical low triggered high rainfall in the Bowen-Broken catchment on February 2nd. The peak of 29,800m3/s at Clare occurred almost immediately after this. Again, the lack of corresponding peaks in the Burdekin Dam hydrograph suggests that runoff from the Bowen-Broken River catchment was the primary source of this peak. Flows at Sellheim and St. Anne's at about this time indicate that floods in the upper Burdekin and Suttor catchments were quite low. Consequently, the high flows at the dam suggest the significant contribution of the Cape-Campaspe catchment.

During mid-February, a trough lay across the top of the catchment resulting in heavy rainfalls and record river heights upstream of Greenvale (station 032122). The hyetograph at Greenvale indicates this high rainfall immediately preceding the hydrograph peak at Sellheim. This peak would have entered the dam pondage whilst the major Cape-Campaspe flood was still being discharged resulting in the flood peak being transmitted to Clare with little change.

The total flow recorded at Clare during January and February was 33x109m3. Of this, 27x109m3 was discharged over the dam wall, which is 14 times the dam's capacity. About 20x109m3 or 73 percent of the flow into the dam originated from the Upper Burdekin River catchment.

5. Water Resources

5.1 General Description

Most of the streams that feed the Burdekin River are subject to seasonal flows. In many months of the year the availability of water for plant growth is restricted and there is usually insufficient moisture available to attain potential evaporation. The surface water resources are also generally restricted with only 12 percent of the land area yielding about 60 percent of the average annual runoff. Despite the large catchment area, the Burdekin River has ceased to flow on a number of occasions, the longest period being in 1926 and lasting for seven months.

The largest volumes of runoff occur in the eastern highlands where the coastline has a marked north-south orientation which exposes it to the moisture bringing easterly winds. In the lowland of the central coastal region runoff is considerably lower as a result of lower precipitation and generally higher infiltration. One of the most striking features of the runoff is its rapid decrease westwards. This distribution is similar to that of rainfall but more pronounced due to the increase in evaporation. Exceptions to this general tendency are in the western highlands and tablelands where runoff rises slightly due to higher precipitation and lower evaporation, and in the rain shadow area of the middle Burdekin River catchment where the average annual runoff decreases to almost 254mm a year.

There are nine major storages located within the catchment, the largest being Lake Dalrymple created on the Burdekin River as a result of the construction of the Burdekin Falls Dam. This storage has the capacity to provide extensive water supplies to Townsville (just outside the catchment) and the irrigation of existing farms in the lower Burdekin River region. In addition, the dam will be able to supply irrigation to 50 000 hectares of proposed new farmland in the lower area of the catchment. The Burdekin Falls Dam is the largest rural land and water conservation scheme ever undertaken in Queensland. It will also provide water supplies for future urban and industrial development in the major centres of the region well into the next century. The dam has been designed to be raised should plans to construct a hydro-electric power station at the site proceed. This will increase the storage capacity to at least 8.5 x 109 m3. Based on its current capacity, the dam provides an additional 1 x 109 m3 of water each year to the Lower Burdekin catchment area.

Before the completion of this dam, the Burdekin River frequently overtopped its banks in its lower reaches and most of the canelands of the delta and the towns of Home Hill and Ayr were subject to significant flood damage during major floods. Such events usually occurred during the first three months of the year. The Burdekin Falls Dam is designed to reduce the peak flow rates of major floods originating above the Falls by less than 10 percent, but would have no effect on the 30 percent of floods originating below the Falls. It has been recognised that the potential for flood damage in the left bank development area is significant and that the area should be designed and managed in a manner such as to minimise flood damage and ensure the maintenance of the wetland habitats (Fleming, et. al., 1981). Due to the warmer climate and higher wind conditions, moisture supplies are normally exhausted during the winter period. Recently, these losses have been replenished by irrigation.

5.2 Map of Water Resources System

Map of reservoirs

5.3 List of Major Water Resource Facilities

Major Reservoirs

Name of river	Name of dam	Catchment area [km2]	Gross capacity [106m3]	Effective capacity [106m3]	Purposes	Year of completion
Swamp Creek	Paluma Dam	8	12.3	12.3	W, I	1958
Gap Creek	Gap Creek Dam	5	3.7	3.3	M	1993
Burdekin River	Charters Towers Weir	34 980	1.9	1.8	W	1903
Burdekin River	Burdekin Falls Dam	114 200	1860	1850	A, W, I, F	1987
Burdekin River	Gorge Weir	115 620	7.9	7.9	A	1953
Burdekin River	Blue Valley Weir	125 240	3.8	-	A	1963
Broken River	Eungella Dam	142	131	126	A, I	1969
Burdekin River	Clare Weir	129 435	15.5	15.2	A, W	1978
Bowen River	Bowen River Weir	4 495	2.4	1.9	M, W	1983

A: Agricultural use, W: Municipal water supply, I: Industrial use, F: Flood control, M: Mining

6. Acknowledgments

The following organisations are thanked for their assistance and advice for the preparation of this work.

ACT Electricity and Water
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Bureau of Meteorology (Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne offices)
Queensland Department of Primary Industries (Brisbane Mackay and Ayr offices)

General Reference Maps of Australia are reproduced with the permission of General Manager , Australian Surveying and Land Information Group (AUSLIG). Department of Administrative Services, Canberra.

In addition, Mr Mick Fleming, formerly of the Division of Water Resources, CSIRO is thanked for providing useful reference material and helpful comments.

7. References, Databooks and Bibliography

BURDEKIN PROJECT COMMITTEE, 1977. Resources and Potential of the Burdekin River Basin, Queensland. Australian Government Publishing Service. 195pp.

DEPARTMENT OF MINERALS AND ENERGY, DIVISION OF NATIONAL MAPPING, GEOGRAPHIC SECTION, 1973. Burdekin - Townsville Region Queensland Resources Series. pp 1-35.

DEPARTMENT OF RESOURCES AND ENERGY and Australian Water Resources Council, 1984. Stream Gauging Information, Australia. Australian Government Publishing Service. 204pp.

FLEMING P.M., and LOOFS M., 1991 Flood Generation and Transmission in the Burdekin and Haughton Rivers North Queensland. CSIRO Division of Water Resources Technical Memorandum 91/15

FLEMING P.M., GUNN R.H., REECE A.M., and McALPINE J.R., 1981. Burdekin Project Ecological Study. Australian Government Publishing Service. 222pp.

ISDALE P.J., STEWART B.J., and TICKLE K.S., 1986. Weather Records in Corals. Proceedings of the IEAust Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, Brisbane, NCP 86/13, pp376-377.

ISDALE P., STEWART B., and TICKLE K., 1989. Reconstruction of Past Hydrological Data in the Burdekin River Basin. Proceedings of the IEAust Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, Christchurch, NCP 89/19, p156-160.

QUEENSLAND Department of Primary Industries - Water Resources Brochure - Water the Essence of Life Burdekin Irrigation Project. 4pp.

QUEENSLAND Department of Primary Industries, 1991. Three Day Isohyets for 1991 Event, Internal Report.

QUEENSLAND Department of primary industries, 1994. Overview of Water Resources and Related Issues: The Upper Burdekin Region. 35pp.

QUEENSLAND WATER RESOURCES COMMISSION, 1980. Report on Establishment of Burdekin River Project Undertaking. 191pp.

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