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National Water Account 2019

Burdekin: Geographic information

  • The Burdekin River is one of Australia's larger rivers.
  • Lake Dalrymple, formed by Burdekin Falls Dam, is the primary surface water resource in the region.
  • Surface water and groundwater are important water sources for irrigation, as well as mining and town supply.

Burdekin region map. Water use: 5.4% of Australia’s water use. Land use: 90% of the region used for grazing. Ecosystems: 1 Ramsar wetland with strong cultural significance. Water resources: 90% sourced from surface water 

For further geographic information about the region scroll down this page or click on the links below:

 

General description

Area: 133,600 km2
Population: 33,633 (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] 2016)

 

Map of two water catchments. Haughton River catchment in the north near the coast and Burdekin River catchment in the remainder of the region.
Figure R1 Contextual map of the Burdekin region 

 

  • The Burdekin region lies within the northeast coast drainage division, in the drier part of the Queensland tropics. 
  • The region is physically defined by two surface water catchments: the Burdekin River and the Haughton River.
  • About 5.4 % of Australia's water use occurs in the region. Most of the water use is from surface water storages for irrigation purposes.

 

Land use

Map showing distribution and land use types. Major towns include Charters Towers, Ayr, Home Hill, Collinsville and Glenden. Primary land use is grazing followed by conservation and natural environments.
Figure R2 Land use in the Burdekin region

 

  • Urban centres within the region include Ayr, Charters Towers and Home Hill.
  • Almost 90% of the region is for pastoral grazing; about 5% of the region contains conservation areas and natural environments.
  • 1% of the region contains irrigated agriculture, primarily associated with sugarcane farming and horticulture products around Ayr.
  • Mining is also important in the region and makes up approximately 0.1% of the land area.

 

Significant aquatic ecosystems

 Map of Ramsar wetlands and nationally important wetlands. Nationally important wetlands are mainly located in the north and northeast of the region; some are distributed across central parts of the region. The Ramsar-listed wetland, Bowling Green Bay, is in the region's northeast along the coast.
Figure R3 Wetlands within the Burdekin region

 

  • The region contains several significant aquatic ecosystems, including Ramsar-listed wetlands.
  • Bowling Green Bay National Park is a Ramsar-listed wetland and contains examples of rich coastal habitats that are typical of northeast Australia's coastal wet-dry tropics.

 

Water resources

  • Surface water is the primary water source in the Burdekin region. The two primary surface water resources are Lake Dalrymple (formed by Burdekin Falls Dam) and Lake Eungella.
  • Groundwater in the lower Burdekin aquifers is also an important water resource in the region.
  • Both surface water and groundwater are primarily used for irrigation, as well as mining and town supply. 

 

Surface water

Storages

 Map of 11 major water storages. Lake Dalrymple in the Burdekin River catchment is the largest, capacity 1,860,000 ML. The other 10 storages are located across the region, total capacity approximately 160,000 ML.
Figure R4 Surface water storages within the Burdekin region

 

  • Lake Dalrymple, formed by Burdekin Falls Dam, operates in conjunction with the other smaller storages and weirs of the Burdekin Haughton Water Supply Scheme, which provides water to irrigators within the lower Burdekin region.
  • Lake Eungella, Bowen River Weir, and Gattonvale offstream storage make up the water stores for the Bowen Broken Water Supply Scheme. The scheme primarily provides water for urban water supply and for industrial use, including mining and the Collinsville Power Station.
  • Water stored in the Paluma Dam can be diverted outside of the region to the headwaters of Crystal Creek to supplement Townsville's urban water supply if required. Water can also be diverted from the Haughton River (as part of the Burdekin Haughton Water Supply Scheme) to Townsville.

 

Rivers

 Map of key gauging stations. Burdekin River at Sellheim, Station ID 120002C, near Charters Towers, Cape River at Taemas, Station ID 120302B, in the central east and Suttor River at St Anns, Station ID 120303A, in the south are located upstream of Lake Dalrymple. Bowen River at Myuna, Station ID 120205A, approximately 30km west of Collinsville is located on a major tributary of Burdekin River downstream of Lake Dalrymple.
Figure R5 Key flow gauging stations along the main rivers within the Burdekin region

 

Figure R6 Mean monthly flows along the Bowen, Burdekin, Cape and Suttor rivers and mean monthly rainfall for the Burdekin region

Figure R6 Mean monthly flows along the Bowen, Burdekin, Cape and Suttor rivers and mean monthly rainfall for the Burdekin region  

 

  • Seasonal flow characteristics of rivers within the Burdekin region reflect the region's annual rainfall pattern. Most of the rainfall occurs during the wet season (November–April). Consequently, most of the streamflow within the region occurs between December and April.
  • Upstream of Lake Dalrymple (e.g., Cape and Suttor rivers), flows in the streams are very low or cease to flow during the dry season (May–October). Flows below Lake Dalrymple (Burdekin River) and Lake Eungella (Bowen River) are regulated by releases from the dams, and consequently, streamflows are generally perennial.

 

Groundwater

Map of groundwater management areas, subartesian areas and the Great Artesian Basin. The Great Western Subartesian Area covers the western boundary of the region. The Highlands Subartesian Area covers the south. The Burdekin Groundwater Management Area covers the delta region surrounding Ayr and is adjacent to the Lower Burdekin Water area. The Great Artesian Basin underlies the region along the western boundary within parts of the Great Western Subartesian Area.
Figure R7 Groundwater zones and management areas within the Burdekin region

 

  • There are three subartesian areas in the region: Greater Western, Highlands and Burdekin. The Burdekin groundwater management area comprises 13 subareas associated with the Burdekin Haughton Water Supply Scheme.
  • Lower Burdekin Water manage the groundwater system in the Lower Burdekin region. 
  • The Burdekin River is used to replenish the coastal aquifer via artificial pits. Groundwater replenishment in the region is used to manage seawater intrusion and improve the quality of water supplied for agriculture, domestic, and industrial purposes.
  • The Water Plan (Great Artesian Basin and Other Regional Aquifers) 2017 also applies to the western sections of the Cape–Campaspe and the Suttor–Belyando subcatchments; however, these do not feature as part of this account.
  • Groundwater is extracted from the Burdekin Groundwater Management Area and the Lower Burdekin region and is used primarily for agriculture (predominantly sugarcane production), domestic water supply, town water supply, and industrial purposes.
  • The groundwater system within the Burdekin River delta is generally considered to be unconfined. Recharge to the aquifer occurs via a range of mechanisms, including rainfall infiltration, channel seepage, percolation through artificial recharge facilities, overbank flood flows, and irrigation return flows.

 

Water systems

Irrigation areas

Map of two key irrigation areas. The Burdekin River Irrigation Area is located around the lower reaches of the Haughton River and extends up the Burdekin River to within 50km of Burdekin Falls Dam. The Lower Burdekin Irrigation Area is located around the lower reaches of the Burdekin River.
Figure R8 Irrigation areas within the Burdekin region

 

  • The Burdekin River Irrigation Area comprises an open channel network that is used to distribute water for irrigated agriculture. The irrigation area is located around the lower reaches of the Burdekin and Haughton rivers.
  • Irrigation water is diverted from the Burdekin River via pumping stations located in the Clare Weir area. The pumping stations divert water into three main distribution channels. On one side of the Burdekin River, water is diverted to the Haughton and Barratta main channels, which provide water to customers between the Burdekin and Haughton rivers. On the other side of the river, water is diverted into the Elliot main channel, which provides water to the Leichhardt Downs area.
  • Lower Burdekin Water manage a series of sand-dams within the lower Burdekin River to support water diversions for off-stream groundwater recharge pits.

 

Water supply schemes

Map of two water supply schemes. The Burdekin Haughton scheme covers the Burdekin River downstream of Lake Dalrymple as well as approximately 50km of the Haughton River in the northeastern part of the region. The Bowen Broken scheme covers the Broken and Bowen rivers downstream of Lake Eungella down to the confluence of the Burdekin River.
Figure R9 Water supply schemes within the Burdekin region

 

  • There are two water supply schemes in the Burdekin region: the Burdekin Haughton and the Bowen Broken.
  • These schemes, which are managed and operated by SunWater, primarily provide surface water to irrigators within the Burdekin River Irrigation Area.
  • Both schemes comprise a series of storages, weirs and pipelines used to divert and distribute surface water to users. Further information on the water supply schemes is available on the SunWater website.