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Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program (PCIMP)

One of the core projects that Vision Environment QLD (VEQ) manages is the Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program (PCIMP), which is a collaborative project for seventeen major industrial stakeholders to assist in managing the ecosystem health of the Port of Gladstone. The program was designed and implemented by the Vision Environment researchers in 2006, with the appointment of Dr Leonie Andersen as PCIMP Coordinator, and includes an extensive annual water quality monitoring program, in addition to monitoring of the intertidal and coastal ecosystems. The program covers 175 sites across the harbour from The Narrows to Colosseum Inlet monitored under two separate themes.

The researchers from Vision Environment are responsible for the experimental design of the project, the implementation of the fieldwork, laboratory analyses, statistical analysis and report preparation. Methodology closely adheres to DERM and APHA protocols, and laboratory analyses are undertaken at reputable NATA accredited facilities. With the permission of the clients, summarized results have been included in the Port Curtis Ecosystem Health Report Card 2007 and 2010 and are cited in Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Association publications. More information is available on the PCIMP website.

Themes covered under PCIMP include:

Water quality

A range of techniques are used to assess the water quality, including multiparameter water meters, light attenuation, data loggers, traditional water grab samples, passive samplers (DGT), biomonitor organisms and water column, algal and invertebrate communities.

Intertidal and Coastal monitoring

Under this program sediment physical properties and contaminant concentrations, mangrove condition and intertidal macro benthic communities are assessed. The theme includes continual assessment of recovery of areas affected by the January 2006 oil spill. Additionally extensive mapping and assessment of mangrove and seagrass communities is undertaken to document change over time. Annual monitoring of seagrass meadows in Port Curtis occurs in a collaborative project with Fisheries Queensland to assess seagrass biomass, species composition and percentage cover using helicopter surveys.