Climate change
Climate change will have a range of direct and indirect impacts on South East Queensland's waterways.
The most significant implications are:
Increased droughts can have a range of water-related effects including reduced water availability and quality leading to reduced environmental flows.
More hot days can lead to increased evaporation, as well as greater use of air conditioners, with greater electricity demand and use of power station cooling water.
More intense rainfall may lead to a higher incidence of flooding. Minor flooding may be good to top up water supply. However extreme rainfall events can lead to sewage overflows into creeks, increased erosion and landslips delivering higher loads of sediment and nutrients into rivers and waterways.
Sea-level rise and larger storm surges can flood freshwater coastal wetlands with salt water, damaging their ecosystems.
Increased incidence and severity of bushfires can lead to land degradation and increased sediment loads in waterways. Increased coastal algal blooms are also likely as a result of smoke and ash entering the waterways.
While much needs to be done to combat climate change, the rate of South East Queensland's population growth is seen as the main barrier to addressing climate change.