Outback floods send tonnes of mud sliding towards Lake Eyre
Receding floodwaters have revealed the scale of environmental damage that could cost tens of millions of dollars in recovery efforts, Desert Channels Queensland’s CEO says.
Fast-flowing floodwaters have dumped tonnes of silt and sediment on significant wetlands in the Lake Eyre Basin in the past month, scouring topsoil and silting waterholes.
“We’ve seen major gully erosion requiring significant earthworks to fix, silt deposits 20 to 40 centimetres deep and a severe loss of grasscover,” CEO Leanne Kohler said.
Environmental damage can have some of the longest-lasting effects on conservation and primary industry – with erosion, soil loss, water degradation and weed spread still felt years after fences are rebuilt and water dries up.
“Thick layers of sediment have not only killed kilometres of grasscover – many landholders have lost topsoil, which means vital seed banks, nutrients and soils are all gone.”
“Without soils, grass can’t grow back, and without grass, there’s no pastures, no biodiversity, nothing to hold together soils and protect our iconic Lake Eyre Basin from eroding further.”
“It’s the beginning of a vicious erosion cycle.”
Desert Channels Queensland is calling for urgent investment to restore damaged land in Western Queensland.
More than 13 million hectares of Western Queensland were directly inundated by floodwater during the March rainfall event, Desert Channels Queensland has found.
An estimated 8.3 million hectares are at risk of weed spread, including Prickly Acacia, Parkinsonia, Rubber Vine and invasive cacti such as Jumping Cholla and Mother of Millions.
“The Lake Eyre Basin is a vital breeding bastion with significant wetland, agricultural land and watercourses, and without intervention this land will not easily recover,” Ms Kohler said.
A solution is tried and tested
Desert Channels Queensland Operations Manager Geoff Penton said a new “innovative technique” could be the solution needed to repair flood-damaged Western Queensland.
Mr Penton said the land restoration technique, developed near Winton after the 2019 floods, could be up-scaled and applied to return native grasscover to flood-impacted catchments.
“A large-scale ground-cover recovery project in Channel Country will not only reduce topsoil loss for graziers, but also protect significant lakes and wetlands in our iconic region.”
“Ground-cover restoration through weed control, watercourse fencing and feral animal management, alongside seeding and spelling efforts, will dramatically reduce future erosion.”
“A project would be a win-win-win for the Lake Eyre Basin, combining conservation values with investment to preserve our region’s vital soil, water, pasture and biodiversity resources.”
Mr Penton said the project is a “tried-and-tested model” and intervention is necessary to restore damaged land and preserve the natural resources of the Lake Eyre Basin.
Contact
Geoff Penton – Desert Channels Queensland Operations Manager – 0408 871 978
Vision
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