Lakeland is a horticultural and grazing community situated in the Normanby catchment which flows into Princess Charlotte Bay and the Great Barrier Reef.
Cape York is identified as a priority in the Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Investment Plan (WQIP) 2017-2022 to maintain current levels of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and reduce fine sediment and particulate loads by 5%. All producers and communities living in reef catchments play a part in maintaining, and continuing to increase, the gains made for water quality.
Producers in the Lakeland Area are committed to understanding the influence of farm management practices on water quality in the local area. To gain a better understanding of this, they have identified a need for more detailed information on water quality in the area. To support this need, Cape York NRM and growers in Lakeland, supported by the Department of Environment and Science, are working together to undertake water quality monitoring in the area. Cape York NRM will work with landholders to collect samples from several new surface water sites to generate a more detailed understanding of water quality across the agricultural area.
