The Peel-Harvey catchment management programme

A broad programme for the management of the Peel-Harvey catchment was proposed in 1989. This has evolved into an approach which is regionally based and employs a collaborative way of working with landholder and agricultural industry groups to reduce current levels of nutrient loss to drainage. The programme also aims to coordinate the activities of government agencies, and includes land use planning instruments at various levels to ensure future developments incorporate catchment management objectives. Key operating principles are to ensure consistency and equity in the impact of management measures, close involvement of the community with the development of corrective policies and programmes, and the development of a community-wide awareness of the problem. In the early stages of the management programme, maximum effectiveness in reducing P loads has been pursued through identifying and controlling point sources of nutrients. Management of diffuse sources of P has concentrated on measures which do not have an economic penalty for the landholder. These measures include better water management to reduce phosphorus loss and to make better use of the winter excess of rainfall, using bauxite residue to improve the P retaining properties of sandy soils, and a fertilizer advisory programme based on assessing the nutrient requirements of individual landholders' soils.