Building on a long history of restoration at Payard’s Lagoon
Payard’s Lagoon has had its fair share of change during the past few decades. Now another chapter in its restoration story is about to begin.
New works planned under the Reef Wise Waterways project will build on more than 20 years of efforts by landholders, local organisations and NQ Dry Tropics to improve the water quality and health of this important wetland within the Sheepstation Creek system.
By the late 1990s, changes to the creek’s natural flow had helped aquatic weeds, particularly water hyacinth, take hold across the lagoon.
Thick mats of weeds crowded the water surface, reducing water quality and making it harder for fish to move through the system, while also affecting habitat used by the lagoon’s abundant waterbird populations.
The response began around 2000, when the Burdekin Shire Council and the local water board started mechanically harvesting weeds from the lagoon. NQ Dry Tropics, then Burdekin Dry Tropics, later joined forces with the council, the water board and landholders to trial a more coordinated approach, combining mechanical removal with targeted spraying.
NQ Dry Tropics Waterways, Wetlands and Coasts Team Leader Scott Fry said the latest works were about building on what had been learnt across more than two decades.
“Payard’s Lagoon has a long history of weed management and collaboration between landholders and local organisations,” Scott said.
“The current works build on this experience. While weed harvesting will provide some immediate relief, the longer-term challenge is managing water volumes and nutrient levels to improve water quality and support a healthier, more resilient lagoon and surrounding wetland system.”
Under the Working Wetlands in the Burdekin Delta project, a part of the Reef Wise Waterways program, the next stage of work at Payard’s Lagoon will focus on removing thick mats of floating weeds that have become too dense to manage with spraying or smaller weed-removal equipment.
The Weedoo, an amphibious excavator, will be used to remove the worst of the weed build-up. In these heavily affected areas, spraying is no longer enough because it kills only the surface weeds, leaving dead plant material behind.
As this material sinks and breaks down, it can build up on the creek bed, reduce water storage and strip oxygen from the water.
This can lead to poor water quality, fish kills and the loss of cooler refuge areas that fish rely on during very hot weather.
The weed mats form when fast-growing aquatic weeds spread across the water or collect in certain areas because of wind and water movement.
Along the creekbanks, introduced grasses such as hymenachne, Aleman grass and para grass can grow across the weeds and bind them together into thick mats that can stay in place even during floods.
In time, these dense mats block sunlight, reduce oxygen levels in the water and make it harder for native fish and other aquatic life to thrive. If they are left unchecked, they can also create the right conditions for Typha to take over, further reducing open water in the lagoon.
By removing the built-up weeds and plant material with machinery, the project aims to give the lagoon a fresh start and make future weed management easier and more effective.
While the tools and techniques have changed over the years, the goal remains much the same: a healthier lagoon with better water quality, stronger habitat and more room for fish and waterbirds to thrive.
The Reef Wise Waterways project is funded by the Australian Government’s Reefwise Wetlands Program through the Reef Trust and delivered by NQ Dry Tropics.
