The Tamar and Esk Rivers program has been collecting data on the ecosystem health of the kanamaluka/Tamar Estuary since 2008 and for the entire monitoring period Zone 1, which runs from Launceston to Legana, has recorded a D - for poor ecosystem health.

The only year that it didn't was in 2018 when it recorded and F grade, which is for failure, and followed significant floods in 2016 that increased turbidity and stirred up contaminated sediment into the water column.

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This is despite significant funds, from all levels of government, being poured into improvement projects and many reports examining the ways in which water quality and the ecosystem can be improved.

TEER program director Darren McPhee said Zone 1 had consistent pressures from nutrients going into the river from agricultural production. It has been this way for decades, and includes agricultural effluent and fertiliser run-off. However it also includes the pressures from the overflow of Launceston's combined stormwater and sewerage system, which literally pumps sewage into the estuary during high rainfall events.

The capacity of the system is low, but improvements are being made under the Tamar Estuary River Health Action Plan for infrastructure improvements and new pipelines being laid by TasWater.

Mr McPhee said, however, that lay outside the scope of what the TEER program aimed to collect information on, as it looked rather at the health of the ecosystem and water quality as impacted by things like chemicals and turbidity.

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"Zone 1 is constantly under pressure, from higher levels of nutrients and elevated turbidity," he said.

"We're seeing improvements to clarity and quite significant improvements in this zone, which is great to see, but this is offset by the more acidic measures of pH."

He said ultimately, that lead the grade to remain the same as previous reporting periods.

However, he said dissolved metal concentrations was the first thing to improve in the 2020 report card, which is really good to see."

An ecosystem consists of plant and animal communities and the physical environment in which they live. Ecosystem health is a measure of the well-being and natural condition of an ecosystem and its function.

The Tamar Estuary is a diverse ecosystem and is one of the most diverse in the world.

It's home to a range of threatened ecological communities, from saltmarsh and Melaleuca through to the grayling. These rely on specific conditions to thrive.

Mr McPhee said testing of the water and ecosystem checked for a range of parameters.

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"When we're out there on the boat, we collect a range of physical and chemical parameters including temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, chlorophyll-a, nutrients and dissolved metals," he said.

"Ultimately these water quality parameters are compared to default guide on values, which you can treat as thresholds, both upper and lower outside of the thresholds represents fail in terms of water quality if they're inside of these, default guide on those or thresholds that represents good water quality. So these parameters are then compiled into a grade type of system where we then assign a specific grade per zone."

The Tamar Estuary has been a source of community angst for decades and has been the subject of numerous editorial campaigns by The Examiner.

The Launceston City Deal in 2017 announced the formation of the Tamar Estuary Management Taskforce and a combined $140.7 million for various improvement projects.

However, much of that was allocated to upgrades to TasWater infrastructure.

However, this year's budget papers show in the forward estimates predictions funding for estuary programs will rise to $32.6 million this financial year, then will drop to $7.1 in 2023-24 and only $0.5 million in 2024-25.

That accounts for only $40.2 million of the $140.7 million total, which leaves a budget of $100.5 unallocated funding, noting that the forward estimates are a guide of funding, not a concrete figure of what will be spent in truth.

Work at present is focused around actions in partnership with TasWater and the City of Launceston council to deliver $129.2 million infrastructure upgrades to reduce overflows from Launceston's combined sewage and stormwater.

However, Mr McPhee said the TEER report did not conduct investigations into pathogen load in the Tamar - particularly with regard to the impact of effluent and overflows.

"In terms of a lot of the investments that are going on, it's focused on e-coli, but this report card isn't specifically focused nor does it have a pathogen element," he said.

"In terms of the improvements of pathogens, you can absolutely see improvements already from those investments, but for the purpose of this report card, it sits out side of what we're delivering on because that's more so towards the recreational water closes is about the ecosystem health."

However, TEER is collecting data about pathogens in the Tamar and is expecting to release that data set soon.

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Zones 2, 4 and 5, which covers the areas of the West Tamar to Rowella, Beauty Point and out to sea at Low Head, all experienced half-grade declines in ecosystem health.

However, Mr McPhee said it was attributed to a more acidic pH level than had been experienced in the past. Zone two recorded a C+ score, Zone 4 a B+ score and Zone 5 an A- score.

"There are some smaller elements too, for example with zones four and five the total phosphorous level slightly increased with median concentrations," he said.

"But overall in terms of zones four and five specifically it may be a half-step grade decline on the previous report, but it's the second-best grade we've had overall since we started doing report cards."

He said Zone 3 had been the most stable of the zones since reporting began, which remains at a B, which is good ecosystem health.

TEER collects the data to monitor how the estuary's ecosystem is working and whether it's supporting the diverse wildlife and plants that inhabit it.

Launceston Chamber of Commerce has called for the Tamar Estuary Management Taskforce to immediately implement facets of the River Health Action Plan.

"We believe it's time for integrated catchment management through a statutory authority," Chamber executive officer Will Cassidy said.

"We need to see both state and federal governments funding other aspects of the TEMT vision including, what we're calling the Tideline - a series of connected walkways around the yacht basin linking Riverside to Kings Wharf and improving public access."

Mr Cassidy said any action on improving the estuary needed full consultation with the community and particularly with river users.

"The Chamber is in full support of the TEMT vision for the Tamar. We welcome the new federal government's election commitment to funding wetland restoration, which should help increase the tidal prism in the North Esk. This is the first actual funding commitment for TEMT's vision but we need more."

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