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Springs

What are spring wetlands?

Spring wetlands occur naturally in the landscape where ground water (generally fresh, not saline) escapes to the surface under hydrostatic pressure. These wetlands provide oases in Australia’s arid and semi-arid zones. The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is a very large aquifer that provides a source for many of the important spring wetlands, where they are often referred to as ‘mound springs’.

Why do they need protecting?

Springs wetlands are extremely rare and have significant environmental, economic and social values. In the Queensland Great Artesian Basin, the number of active artesian springs has declined by almost 40 percent since 1900. This has had a significant impact on land quality, production values and the unique plants and animals that inhabit these wetlands. Some of these plants and animals may not be found anywhere else in Australia or the world and may be protected under legislation.

Spring wetlands are the subject of some legislative protection in Queensland including under the:

Nature Conservation Act 1992 (presence of NCA protected species identified in database)
Vegetation Management Act 1999
Lands Act 1994
Petroleum Act 1923
Water Act 2000.

Some species that occur in mound springs and the mound spring community itself are also listed under the Commonwealth legislation Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC). Information on this legislation and the species and communities it seeks to protect can be accessed at www.ea.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/index.html.

Artesian spring in central Queensland. Photo: EPA

This artesian spring in central Queensland provides habitat for the red-finned blue-eye, a fish known only from this location. Despite the shallow-habitat, the groundwater maintains the springs at a constant depth and size. The red-finned blue-eye is threatened by the exotic fish gambusia that has colonised these tiny springs, probably from nearby bore-drains.

Active Springs (GAB)

Inactive Springs (GAB)

The Great Artesian Basin. The envelopes marked in red represent regional clusters of springs called ‘super-groups’. The dark yellow represents the major areas of outcropping sediment where the basin is recharged by rainfall, and the arrows broadly represent the direction of groundwater flow.

Queensland Springs — distribution and assessment

The Queensland Springs database presents data from a survey of spring wetlands conducted between 1995 and 2002 for some areas of the Great Artesian Basin in Queensland (excluding Cape York Peninsula). It also includes data from other areas that is substantially incomplete. The database includes the locations of springs and their flow status (active or inactive). The presence of plant species listed as rare, vulnerable or endangered under the Nature Conservation and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2000 is also included.

Spring wetlands in seasonally arid Queensland

Seven spring wetlands in seasonally arid Queensland, including those outside the Great Artesian Basin, were listed as distinct regional ecosystems by Sattler and Williams (1999) (1.10.6; 2.10.8; 4.3.22; 5.3.23; 6.3.23; 10.10.6; 11.3.22). Fensham, Fairfax and Sharpe (2004b) investigated the floristic variation within the spring wetlands of seasonally arid Queensland, using survey information from both Great Artesian Basin springs and permanent springs associated with other aquifers. It indicated that the regional ecosystem framework provides a satisfactory means of classifying spring wetlands. The study indicated that the flora of spring wetlands of the Great Artesian Basin aquifer are distinct from other spring wetlands in seasonally arid Queensland, but that all have substantial conservation values. The value of the springs as cultural sites, particularly for aboriginal communities, is also very high. In September 2003, an additional seven regional ecosystems (1.11.5; 2.3.39; 6.7.18; 9.8.8; 9.10.2; 10.3.31; 11.10.14) were recognised and included in the Vegetation Management Act 1999 regulation, and are described in the Regional Ecosystem Description Database (EPA 2005). www.epa.qld.gov.au/REDD

Ecological value and conservation issues for the Great Artesian Basin springs

The spring wetlands of the Great Artesian Basin provide habitat for a number of endemic plants, as well as fish, snails and other invertebrates (Ponder 2003). Fensham and Fairfax (2003) described results from a comprehensive ground survey of the spring wetlands associated with the Great Artesian Basin in Queensland. That study confirmed and extended previous findings from South Australia (Ponder 1995) regarding the significance of the biological values of the springs emanating from the Great Artesian Basin. The conservation values of Great Artesian Basin springs have been ranked on the basis of their endemic plant populations and the habitat they provide for isolated populations of plant species (Fensham and Price 2004).

The water pressure in the Great Artesian Basin has declined substantially because of the extraction of water from artificial bores and it is considered that the long-term sustainability of the resource is at risk. This has serious implications for both the agricultural and mining sectors that use the Great Artesian Basin. A large amount of public money is being spent on rehabilitating bores with the aim of restoring aquifer pressure. Spring flows have also declined, particularly in discharge areas, and preservation of their natural values is highlighted as an important justification for the rehabilitation program (Great Artesian Basin Consultative Council 2000).

What are current threats to Great Artesian Basin spring wetlands?

The current threats are:

reduced spring flows resulting from overuse of groundwater
decreased water quality
spring modification (such as excavation and dredging)
inappropriate grazing and fire management
destruction by feral pigs, goats and horses
displacement of native vegetation by weeds and exotic pastures
displacement of rare native fish by the exotic fish gambusia.

Spring on the edge of the Simpson Desert, Western Australia. Photo: EPA.

A severely degraded spring on the edge of the Simpson Desert in western Queensland. The wetland habitat and aboriginal artefacts associated with this spring have been scraped into a heap with a grader. The water has been fouled by concentrated stock-use. The spring is currently the subject of a rehabilitation effort.

Key recommendations

Key recommendations are as follows:

negotiate conservation outcomes with land managers
groundwater extraction needs to be carefully controlled to ensure impacts on groundwater flows to springs do not compromise the natural values of spring wetlands
opportunities to increase spring flows in line with the historical flow rates should be realised where possible
improve knowledge of hydrogeology as it relates to springs
complete bore capping including unlicensed bores and bores that may be reactivated with pressure restoration
develop a monitoring program for changes in spring flows
provide intensive management including the threat of gambusia at key spring sites.