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Fraser Island water worries USC researchers
A University of the Sunshine Coast scientific team is alarmed by the findings of its research into the quality of groundwater and beach flows on Fraser Island.
“Based on all variables measured, there is a clear difference between water quality in camping and non-camping zones,” said USC Associate Professor of Heritage Resource Management Bill Carter.
“Almost all the levels for nutrients and faecal coliforms found in the groundwater of camping zones exceeded Queensland water quality standards.”
Faecal coliforms indicate the presence of pathogens with potential to cause disease in humans.
“Some groundwater samples from the foredunes were not safe for humans,” he said. “Soil samples also showed high levels of nutrients which threaten native plants such as banksias and encourage weeds on the low-nutrient island.”
Associate Professor Carter led the team of three academics and a student to collect samples in January and February after receiving a USC funding grant. The study targeted waters other than the island’s often-tested lakes.
Samples were analysed at USC’s laboratory and a paper was presented to a Fraser Island Defenders Organisation conference in Brisbane in July.
Associate Professor Carter suggested that human waste left by beach campers could be responsible for the poor quality, given that sampling coincided with peak tourist season.
He estimated an average of 4.3kg of faeces and 18.3 litres of urine were added to every metre of camping zone each year on the island’s eastern beach.
However, he asserted the island’s value and popularity as a tourist attraction as well as its World Heritage listing.
“I won’t jump to any hasty conclusions because recreation is an important component of Fraser,” he said. “I’ve camped there myself and enjoyed it.”
Associate Professor Carter said it was too early to consider options to manage the problem because further study was needed to confirm the links between campers’ waste, water pollution and ecological effects.
“This needs to be tested over a wider area and longer timeframe, for example to see if a major rainfall event would flush the pollutants from the system,” he said. “It’s not time to panic – it’s time to understand what’s going on.”
Options could include camp ground rotations, health warnings, improved toilet facilities (permanent or portable) or other camping restrictions.
Associate Professor Carter is also director of USC’s Fraser Island Research and Leaning Centre.
– Julie Gatehouse