Protecting the environmental values of our catchments
Water within the natural environment is critical to sustaining a healthy ecosystem and maintaining the cultural, social and economic benefits of waterways throughout the catchment and watershed. Griffith University manages several natural water bodies across our campuses, as well as key parts of the catchment for several locally significant creeks.
All of our water resources are within the broader catchment of Moreton Bay, which holds significant cultural, environmental, economic and social value, both locally and globally.
Below are the relevant immediate downstream receiving waters within each campus, as defined under the Queensland Environmental Protection (Water and Wetland Biodiversity) Policy 2019.
Griffith continuously works to protect the environmental values of our local catchments, including plans and research looking to minimise physical, chemical and biological alterations of our aquatic ecosystems through the preparation and implementation of programmes to monitor the health of these aquatic ecosystems.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to ensuring clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, and the preservation of marine life, working towards a sustainable and environmentally responsible future.
Campus-based receiving waters*
| Campus | Receiving water | Environmental values |
|---|---|---|
| Nathan | Mimosa Creek |
|
| Nathan | Oxley Creek |
|
| Gold Coast | Biggera and Loders Creek Frog's Hollow Waterhole Smith Street Wetland |
|
| Logan | Slacks Creek |
|
| South Bank | Brisbane River |
|
* Environmental values as defined by the Environmental Protection (Water and Wetland Biodiversity) Policy 2019
Preventing alterations and improving aquatic ecosystem health in our catchment
To prevent physical, biological and chemical alterations to the unique aquatic ecosystems on and related to our campuses, Griffith is developing and implementing actions that ensure water system pollution and marine pollution are prevented, and that water system and marine catchment health is improved.
Griffith is developing and implementing actions to avoid water system pollution and prevent physical, biological and chemical alterations to the unique aquatic ecosystems on and around our campuses through:
- comprehensive contaminant management and response processes
- initiatives to prevent plastic contamination
- the development of water quality standards and guidelines for water discharges, to uphold water quality and protect ecosystems, wildlife and human health and welfare
- the development of erosion and sediment control processes
- management of all potential hazardous materials, chemicals and pollutants on campus in accordance with Australian standards (in addition to the existing guidelines and procedures for chemical management (PDF), chemical waste disposal (PDF) and clinical waste management (PDF)).
Our Design Guidelines set requirements to prevent pollution from contaminated water release.
Griffith University seeks to ensure a sustainable marine environment through improving marine health and preventing marine pollution of all kinds.
Microplastics entering the fresh and marine aquatic environment are a major environmental and social challenge. Alongside leading research on microplastics within the marine environment, our plastic reduction initiatives include:
- removal of plastic cutlery, utensils and straws from campus service providers and catering
- a Sustainable Events Guide to support the reduction of single-use plastic at Griffith events and graduation ceremonies
- KeepCup and bring-your-own-water-bottle campaigns to encourage reuse and limit the sale of single-use plastic drink containers
- free and easily accessible water fountains and refill stations to encourage the use of reusable containers and ensure access to clean drinking water for all
- development of waste management plans to avoid and limit plastic waste as Griffith strives to become a zero-plastic university.
Construction and maintenance works associated with campus development has the potential to cause erosion, releasing sediment into the natural environment. Griffith University is developing measures to monitor and control sediment erosion across our campuses. These measures are informed by our Precision Erosion and Sediment Management Research Group, which develops timely, cost-effective strategies to precisely define and manage erosion and sediment sources in our waterways and catchments.
Monitoring the health of aquatic ecosystems
To ensure our campuses protect and enhance the environmental value of aquatic ecosystems (both on campus, within receiving waters, and ultimately as part of the broader Moreton Bay catchments), Griffith University monitors key aquatic ecosystems through the School of Environment and Science, the Australian Rivers Institute and the Centre for Coastal and Marine Research Centre. This includes student-led invertebrate health monitoring at a key waterbody on the Gold Coast campus and at Mimosa Creek on the Nathan campus as part of undergraduate course programs.
We undertake off-campus marine monitoring to ensure we maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems, such as the case studies below. Griffith is also leveraging the unique natural environments of our campus to monitor the health of the catchment and aquatic ecosystems, with further strengthening of our monitoring activities planned.
We are currently working with students and Griffith experts to develop informed and appropriate procedures for the ecological monitoring of sensitive water bodies at Gold Coast, Logan and Nathan campuses. Procedures include information on monitoring locations, parameters (e.g. biological, physico-chemical), timing, and people responsible.
Griffith campuses are located in the culturally and environmentally significant Moreton Bay catchment (including the RAMSAR protected wetlands), which means we have a key role in protecting and enhancing this important marine ecosystem. RAMSAR refers to The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, which is the United Nations intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971, and adopted by Australia in 1974. Griffith partners with local government to monitor and protect the health of the Moreton Bay and the iconic Gold Coast marine environments.
Water quality in our coasts and estuaries is vital to the maintenance of healthy and productive ecosystems. Urbanisation and industrial activities put our coastal waters under growing pressure from increased sediment and nutrient loads, as well as organic contaminants and trace metals. Our current monitoring projects examine baseline water quality on the Gold Coast Broadwater (2019-2023), trace metal fluxes in seagrass meadows (2022-2024), redox-sensitive trace metal geochemistry in marine sediments (2018-2023), and trace metal geochemistry in urban mangrove sediments (2024-2026).
Since 1999, Griffith University has collaborated with the City of Gold Coast on major projects to monitor and improve coastal and estuarine environments and assets, including monitoring, analytical, and interpretive services through a Receiving Environment Monitoring Program (REMP) associated with the release of recycled water generated sewage treatment plants, including targeted water quality investigations in response to unique and complex incidences. Our most recent 2023 to 2025 initiative with this program is led by Dr Will Bennett, whose team provides the City of Gold Coast Water and Waste Directorate with monitoring, analytical, and interpretive services. The REMP is one of the largest water quality monitoring programs on the Gold Coast and ensures any potential impact to the environment, is accurately quantified and communicated to the appropriate government agencies.
Cleveland Bay seagrass meadows are significant foraging grounds and habitat sites for all six species of marine turtles that inhabit the Great Barrier Reef, with the vulnerable green turtles representing ~90% of turtles sighted during previous surveys. Funded by Port of Townsville Limited (POTL), this 2021 to 2024 project provides a comprehensive assessment and monitoring of the toxicology and health of green turtles foraging in Cleveland Bay to assist in the ongoing management of this environmentally protected and culturally significant species.
Griffith waste management
By 2030, Griffith will improve waste monitoring and analysis systems across the generated waste streams on campuses.
ARI-TOX
ARITOX is a group of researchers from Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute whose research focuses on the presence, fate and impacts of toxic contaminants in the aquatic environment, including trace organic contaminants (like pharmaceuticals and personal care products, pesticides, industrial compounds, hormones), metals and other elements and their effects on living systems in general (using ethical alternatives to animal testing such as in vitro and in silico testing models) but also monitoring impact in our endangered wildlife such as turtles, sharks, dugongs, fish, frogs and other aquatic life.
The principal aim of our research is to enhance our ability to understand and mitigate the impact of anthropogenic environmental pollutants in water to protect human and wildlife health. Specifically, our research focuses on:
- environmental monitoring and risk assessment of environmental pollutants, and specifically Contaminants of Emerging Concerns (CEC) and microplastics;
- development and application of emerging techniques in ecotoxicology, such effects-based monitoring (EBM) and -omics approaches; and
- development and validation of ethical alternatives to animal testing in toxicology.
Our research program addresses global concern about pollution of scarce potable water resources and aligns closely with the National Science and Research Priority of “Soil and Water”, five UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 6, 11, 12, 13 and 14) and two Areas of Strategic Investment at Griffith University (“Environmental Sciences” and “Water Science”).
This requires a trans-disciplinary approach, and our research team includes environmental toxicologist, biologists, ecologists, modellers, chemists, data scientists and systems biologists. We also collaborate with colleagues from around the globe, sharing insights into how to ensure a sustainable and healthy future for all living organisms on the planet.
Contact Griffith Sustainability
Griffith Sustainability Room 0.08, Building N23, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan QLD, 4111