LAND STUDIES

Land Studies: Paradise Dam Construction and Queensland

Land Studies: Paradise Dam Construction and Queensland

Introduction

Land refers to all interrelating biophysical attributes of the surface of land that includes fauna, vegetation, hydrology, soils, general shape of the surface soil of the earth, climate and comparatively permanent improvements like terraces and drainage channels. Such attributes help in determining the potential land use or utility of the land: a key resource for economic livelihood of man. For this study, Queensland is taken under study where the Paradise dam is constructed. The dam is located near the towns of Bundaberg and Biggenden. The purpose of this paper is to outline the physical attributes of the land (Queensland), explore the major degradation issues that have arisen, and propose strategies to reduce to mitigate the issue of degradation.

Discussion

Outline the Biophysical Attributes

Queensland is the third most populous and the second largest state in Australia. The state is located in the north-east of Australia. It is bordered by the New South Wales, South Australia and Northern Territory to the south, south-west and west respectively. To the east, the state is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Coral Sea. The paradise dam construction was done twelve miles to the south west of the Bundaberg town and North West of the Biggenden town. Both towns are near the coast line (www.australiangeographic.com.au).

Source: (www.australiangeographic.com.au)

Terrain

Queensland has the total area of 1,852,642 km2, out of which water covers about 121,994 km2 and land about 1,730,648 km2. To the north, Queensland surrounds the Torres Strait, with Boigu Island off the New Guinea coast that represents the northern extreme of its terrain. West of the tip of peninsula, northern Queensland borders the Gulf of Carpentaria; whereas, to the east, Queensland surrounds by the Pacific Ocean and Coral Sea. Queensland borders the Northern Territory to the west, at the 138°E longitude. There are three sections in the south that comprise its border: the section of river involves the Barwon, the Macintyre and the Dumaresq; the watershed to the Dumaresq River from Point Danger; and 29° S latitude (include a number of minor historical intrusion lower than the 29th parallel) over the Southern border of Australia. Bundaberg is on the Burnett River, about 385 km north of the state capital, Brisbane and 15 km inland from the shoreline. Biggenden is a town located in southern Queensland on the Isis Highway, 84 km west of Maryborough and 339 km north-west of Brisbane (www.abs.gov.au).

Since, Queensland is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and Coral Sea, and the closeness of Bundaberg and Biggenden to the coastline; increases the possibility of floods in the state's towns and cities. The construction of Paradise dam possessed positive impact on the state. The construction of the dam creates a reservoir upstream from the dam. The water reservoir overflows into the close localities and territories, flooding the natural environments, home and locale that existed before the construction of Paradise dam (www.lrrsa.org.au). In addition, the dam construction blocks the sediment downstream flow that ...