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Evidence from Section 2.6.4 and 3.2.10.5 as well as other comments during fieldwork visits<br />
indicates that the sill heights and sand bars of Oriners Lagoon have altered significantly in<br />
recent years, <strong>with</strong> negative effects on lagoon volume. Rainfall and flood levels are<br />
uncontrollable by human managers and major influence over the course of the Eight Mile<br />
Creek would require large scale interventions that are both impractical and undesirable.<br />
Taking this in<strong>to</strong> account, Figure 86 and other information in the <strong>report</strong> suggests that human<br />
management attention may <strong>be</strong> <strong>be</strong>st directed <strong>to</strong>wards minimising road sediment inputs,<br />
investigating the significance of downstream sill height and sill vegetation in maintaining and<br />
improving lagoon volume, and improving land use (minimising grazing, undertaking<br />
appropriate fire regimes, and managing weeds). Currently, human water use at the station is<br />
<strong>not</strong> a significant fac<strong>to</strong>r in overall volumes, but this may change if residential use increases<br />
significantly in the years <strong>to</strong> come. However, appropriate management actions by human<br />
residents may more than offset the increased domestic water usage that such residence<br />
would require.<br />
4.2.3 Jewfish Lagoon<br />
Jewfish Lagoon lies 25 km downstream from the Oriners Homestead, along the course of a<br />
large anabranch of Eight Mile Creek, but <strong>not</strong> the largest anabranch 500m <strong>to</strong> the north that<br />
transports more sand <strong>be</strong>dload. Mosqui<strong>to</strong>, a<strong>not</strong>her of these significant permanent lagoons,<br />
lies 4 km upstream of Jewfish along the same secondary anabranch channel. Although <strong>not</strong> a<br />
homestead site <strong>with</strong> direct human residential usage, Jewfish has considerable his<strong>to</strong>rical,<br />
cultural, and subsistence importance <strong>to</strong> Oriners Mob people who utilize it seasonally (see<br />
1.5.3).<br />
Figure 87. Jewfish Lagoon looking upstream.<br />
While direct human impacts on water quantity and quality at Jewfish are less than Oriners<br />
due <strong>to</strong> lack of residential use, other human impacts such as roads and enhanced gully<br />
erosion do impact Jewfish. The main dirt road/track along the Eight Mile valley through the<br />
Oriners property crosses the creek immediately upstream of Jewfish lagoon. Recently this<br />
road <strong>be</strong>en widened in <strong>pre</strong>parations of development upgrades in 2012/2013 and is already<br />
Working Knowledge at Oriners Station, Cape York<br />
192