JFA: You keep bringing this up mate. NQ is not the outflow at Bondi which all ends up on Bondi Beach. Good fishing, lots of brown Barra I'm told. ;-)

You seem to have a fixation on Sewage, besides water cleans itself as it travels north anyway.

NQ was very, very late in getting Sewage so the Towns & Cities have all the latest systems installed. I explained all this to you previously. You seemed to have overlooked, or ignored, what I said.

No Sewage goes into the Burdekin anywhere along the River Catchment. The Catchment, by the way extends from behind the Range at Innisfail to behind the Range at Rockhampton. So anywhere it rains behind the Range it flows into the Burdekin. Although the Dam only catches what falls behind Innisfail to Townsville. The Bogie & the Sutter are lower than the Dam but the water is stopped by the two big Weirs At Milleroo & Clare. Lots of big Sharks up there so don't go swimming in the Weirs. They can't get back to the Coast.

When the Burdekin does Flood, like at present, Tons of silt gets washed out to the Reef & the Coastline around Alva Beach changes, once again. I know, because that's where I grew up. I've seen the water one metre from the road way & flooding the local areas with Inkerman mill 20 feet under water. That's why in Home Hill you will see houses on 20 foot stilts on the River side of the Town. It's only a little flow, not even breaking the Banks.

Still that's a lot of Silt going to the Reef. A lot more than a few shovelfuls of Coal Dust that fall of the Conveyor belt going to the ships at Abbots Point. That Coal Dust stays around the Loading Facility. That's why they had to dredge it recently. The Coal Dust is inert & doesn't react with anything on the Reef. It's like the sand.

Jayb,

I very much appreciate discussion with you but you are incorrect about a number of things.

You say no sewage goes into the Burdekin River.
Where do you think all the shire sewage waste water with nutrient goes? I think most of it has reach the Burdekin River and ocean as I have said.

Burdekin Shire trickle filter treatment of sewage does not remove any nutrient. In fact bacteria digesting solid matter excretes more nutrient. Lumos may be trucked away but even landfill leeches into waterways. Tertiary treatment is needed to remove nutrient but not all.
So sewage nutrient is going into the Burdekin River. See here :

http://www.burdekin.qld.gov.au/services/waste-water/overview-of-sewerage-schemes/#gsc.tab=0

PS.
I am presently travelling back to Aus and its difficult to concentrate and write. I will reply to your other comment a.s.a.p.

Thanks for input.

Jayb,

How do you think water cleans itself on the way north when most east Australia coast sediment excluding heavy sand is known to be deposited along the north Queensland coast?

I would say 98 percent of sewage treatment plants or schemes along the Aus east coast do not extract nutrient. The nutrient load dumped into coastal ecosystem current is unmeasured and unmanaged. That is the problem worldwide.

Absolutely most silt does not reach the GBR because the GBR is too far offshore. Only perhaps during a once in 100 year flood might some small amount of sediment reach the actual GBR.

Ocean waters should be understood generally but are not and I think that forms evidence Peter Ridd is correct about need for real science and knowledge not coming out of GBR 'science' at present.

Its not doom to me because real science can lead to solutions and employment and prosperity in a healthy world.

Eeerrr,
JFAus said;
How do you think water cleans itself on the way north when most east
Australia coast sediment excluding heavy sand is known to be deposited along the north Queensland coast?
---
Doesn't the East Australian current flow South ?

Bazz: Doesn't the East Australian current flow South ?

It does sometimes but mostly sand & anything else moves northward. This can be seen after heavy seas when the sandbars build up or lose sand. That's why they build those sea groins around the Gold Coast to stop their beaches from being washed along the coast. They've been doing that for hundred of years because it works.

The east coast of Australia alongshore current flows northwards because of prevailing wind against the coast. It is the current linked to the east coast sediment dispersal system. It has no actual name.

The East Australia Current flows south offshore including outside or east of the Great Barrier Reef. The EAC is a warm current with exceptionally good underwater visibility.