New Bioreactors Installed

With the help of local landholders, six new denitrification bioreactors are being installed on Wet Tropics farms, in an effort to improve water quality.

Cane and banana farmers are continuing a trend in innovation when it comes to reducing the amount of nitrogen, sediment and pesticides flowing to the Great Barrier Reef, as part of the Wet Tropics Major Integrated Project (MIP).

Farmers involved in the community designed project are trialling the effectiveness of different water quality solutions, most of which are proof-of-concept in the region.

Tully and Johnstone landholders came together to finalise bioreactor designs and construction logistics prior to installation in August.

Bioreactors are woodchip-filled trenches used to remove nitrogen from groundwater before it enters local waterways. To minimise land being taken out of production they can be installed in the bottom of a current drain, or by attaching to ag-pipes, where they intercept water in a paddock before it enters a drain.

Suzette Argent from the MIP said landholders have been integral to the design process.

“We’re lucky to be working with bioreactor experts, but local knowledge is just as critical as technical expertise. You can’t beat the specialist knowledge that farmers have about the landscape, which informs the design process.”

“Ongoing landholder involvement deserves recognition, and we owe last year’s successful installation of a bioreactor, a high efficiency sediment basin and an in-drain wetland to this.”

“It’s an exciting time because everything we learn here can inform future projects, and potentially be applied in other reef catchments.”