Mr Mulherin said South East Queensland's waterways were a precious resource that contributed directly to local tourism and the region's $800 million agricultural sector.
"Our waterways are under pressure," the Minister said. "We face the challenge of a growing population, with figures predicting our numbers to jump by nearly two million people by 2026, which will mean even greater demands on water supply, infrastructure and services.
"Steps have already been taken to address these demands - nitrogen loads to waterways have been reduced by 40 percent, urban stormwater or catchment management plans are in place for all major catchments in the region, and we're re-building riparian zones. To further secure our waterways, the Queensland Government is investing $20 million over four years to reduce pollution loads and improve the health of our waterways in South East Queensland.This investment includes $8 million for Healthy Country to take action in rural areas through waterway management and best practice management of the land."
There are four sub-projects under the Healthy Country project with the SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership providing the science and planning, SEQ Catchments undertaking waterway restoration, Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries leading sustainable land management and South East Queensland Traditional Owners Alliance managing Traditional Owner engagement.