Having agreed on the set indicators and of guideline trigger values to be applied for meeting the
environmental values, the nest step is to translate these into practical objectives and targets.
The terms 'objective' and 'target' are used interchangeably in the Guidelines.
A Water Quality Objective is a water quality target agreed to by the local community to support
and maintain a designated water use or ecosystem value.
It is based on the trigger value and guideline value but may be modified after consideration
of other issues such as social, cultural, economic or political constraints.
This includes consideration of costs and benefits addressed by local stakeholders and
jurisdictions.
The effects and implications of adopting agreed environmental values must be assessed,
community acceptance sought on impacts and values modified if required.
It is often useful to list the changes that have occurred in the catchment and the
impacts on water quality that have resulted from these changes.
This involves a comparison of the waterways' current condition with the water quality
objectives, including confirmed existing uses and likely desired uses.
The result can be used by the working group to resolve how to involve communities and
interest groups in identifying desirable uses for their local waterways.
A detailed, wide ranging analysis of the implications must be undertaken including
social, environmental, economic, scientific, administrative and policy considerations.
National, State and local objectives should be included in analyses along with consideration
of the water quality guidelines, which provide a national benchmark.
In some cases the objective value may exceed the local guideline value simply because it
cannot be economically achieved. The designated use may not be achievable or the level of
protection. A set of target values may be specified to get the water quality back to a
specified guideline value for specified times. This may require modification of the
values specified for the waterbody. In other cases the water quality objectives or
targets may need to be more stringent than the local guideline value.
For example the need to meet an objective in a wetland or estuary may mean that
interim objectives in the river tributaries upstream may have to be set lower than
that required locally to meet river objectives. This may occur due to the cumulative
build up of the toxicant from various upstream resources or to the build-up of the
toxicant in the estuarine sediments.
It may also occur because of differences in toxicity in the estuary compared with
the river environment or to differences in the designated environmental values or
level of protection upstream compared to the downstream receiving waters.
For example estuary high conservation rivers degraded - human consumption in estuary
not in rivers.
Interim objectives and stages
It may be appropriate to develop the management plan with a set of targets
for various stages. This fist in with the notion of continual improvement and may
spread the cost and management actions over a more appropriate timeframe.
While the aim of the process is to establish long term water quality objectives,
there may be instances where intermediate objectives are established.
These intermediate water quality objectives might be seen as milestones to be
achieved in moving towards the long term objectives.
Alternatively, short term objectives may be useful where there is uncertainty
on the long term goals or where additional scientific information and
research is required.
In a catchment it may also be appropriate to establish interim objectives
for various river section and for sub-catchments. This may provide a better
approach to meeting a final target downstream or for an estuary.
A good example is the interim salinity targets set for sub-catchments
throughout the Murray-Darling basin in order to meet the drinking water
requirements for South Australia which draws water from the Lower Murray River.
The process of modifying guidelines to establish water quality objectives would
normally be carried out through cost-benefit analysis programs involving input
from stakeholders or local jurisdictions.
An additional consideration when setting water quality objectives in rivers
and streams is the water quality required to meet management goals and
hence protect the environmental values established further downstream,
including estuaries and coastal marine environments.
The water quality required to support local environmental values may not
be sufficient to support downstream environmental values, particularly for
chemicals that persist in the environment or where downstream ecosystems
are more sensitive to the contaminant (e.g. heavy metals or nutrients).
Water Quality targets once defined, become indicators of management
performance or progress towards it.
Normally the targets focus specifically on the environmental issues
or problems facing the resource in meeting the specified environmental
values.
The local water quality targets should be established through a
partnership between community and government. The process should involve:
* a consistent approach to setting goals, objectives and standards
* stakeholder involvement in defining goals, developing plans and implementing
strategies
* clear and flexible ways to achieve the desired result with responsibilities
for each action assigned and known
* monitoring and reporting on progress towards the desired water quality
objective
* matching the administrative structures to the physical and social
constraints,commonly on a catchment or sub-catchment basis.
In general targets should:
· Define an acceptable, physical condition of catchment health
· Be measureable, achievable and time-specific
· Provide focus for action and investment
· Provide best use of available resources
· Are based on trend information - rates of change, trajectories.
Endorsing the Water Quality Objectives
The lead agent or agencies will review and present water quality
management plans for a region or a local area to the
government for endorsement. The endorsement might range from
formal adoption through to a community/government agency partnership
agreement.
A critical step is to have natural resource managers agree to and
share a common vision of the water quality objectives.
Following government endorsement, the lead agent will coordinate
the report's implementation through establishing management
goals and action plans.