River Health in the New South Wales Lower North Coast, Hunter and Central Coast Catchments
A report of AusRivAS assessments 1994 - 1999
Grant Hose and Eren Turak
Environment Protection Agency, 2004
ISBN 0 642 55099 9 ISSN 1447-1280
Hunt508 - Windyers Creek at Pacific Highway
Site Condition Summary
This creek was on the outskirts of Raymond Terrace and hence it received runoff from the town and industry. Riparian vegetation included native species but was dominated by exotics. Beyond the riparian zone, land use included parklands and industrial areas.
The instream habitat had been degraded by inputs of rubbish and silt which has resulted in the formation of black anoxic sediments. Exotic macrophytes and mosquito fish (Gambusia affinnis) were recorded.
Water quality was poor, with reports of oil slicks, and a "milky-green" sheen to the water surface. Turbidity and nutrient concentrations were very high on both sampling occasions. Dissolved oxygen was particularly low in Spring 1997.
The macroinvertebrate fauna in the edge habitats reflected the poor water quality. O/E-Taxa values indicated the richness was much lower than expected.
Location Map
| Map Name | Beresfield 9232-3-N |
| Map Zone | 56 |
| Map Scale | 1:25000 |
| Easting | 381600 |
| Northing | 6372400 |
| Distance from source (m) | 29258 |
| Elevation (m asl) | 0 |
| Average Annual Rainfall (mm) | 1100 |
Sampling Data and Assessments
Single Season Assessments
| Autumn '97 | Spring '97 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Apr-97 | 11-Nov-97 | |
| O/E Taxa | 0.45 | 0.38 |
| Band | C | C |
| O/ E SIGNAL | 0.70 | 0.84 |
Riffle
Combined Season Assessments
| Seasons | AUT97SPR97 |
|---|---|
| Model | Eastern |
| O/E Taxa | 0.47 |
| Band | C |
| O/ E SIGNAL | 0.89 |
Riffle
Taxa Collected
X= Taxa Predicted & Collected, O = Taxa Predicted & NOT Collected, + = Taxa Collected & NOT Predicted
| Autumn '97 | Spring '97 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phylum | Class/Order | Family | 20-Apr-97 | 11-Nov-97 |
| Annelida | Oligochaeta | + | ||
| Arachnida | Hydracarina | X | O | |
| Crustacea | Decapoda | Atyidae | X | O |
| Crustacea | Decapoda | Hymenosomatidae | + | |
| Crustacea | Ostracoda | O | + | |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Dytiscidae | X | X |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Hydraenidae | O | |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Hydrophilidae | O | O |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Scirtidae | O | O |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Staphylinidae | + | |
| Insecta | Diptera | Ceratopogonidae | + | |
| Insecta | Diptera | Chironominae | X | X |
| Insecta | Diptera | Culicidae | O | |
| Insecta | Diptera | Muscidae | + | |
| Insecta | Diptera | Orthocladiinae | O | |
| Insecta | Diptera | Tanypodinae | O | O |
| Insecta | Ephemeroptera | Leptophlebiidae | O | O |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Gerridae | O | O |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Hydrometridae | O | O |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Mesoveliidae | + | |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Naucoridae | + | |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Pleidae | + | |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Veliidae | X | X |
| Insecta | Odonata | Coenagrionidae | + | + |
| Insecta | Odonata | Libellulidae | + | |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Leptoceridae | O | X |
| Mollusca | Bivalvia | Corbiculidae | + | |
| Mollusca | Gastropoda | Planorbidae | + | + |
| Platyhelminthes | Turbellaria | Dugesiidae | + |
Riffle
Water Quality Data
| Autumn '97 | Spring '97 | |
|---|---|---|
| Variable | 20-Apr-97 | 11-Nov-97 |
| Water Temperature (°C) | 18.8 | 26.1 |
| Conductivity (µS/Cm) | 527 | 960 |
| Alkalinity (mg CaCO3 /L) | 67 | 60 |
| pH | 6.88 | 6.63 |
| Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) | 4.53 | 0.6 |
| Turbidity (NTU) | 53.1 | 105.9 |
| Low Total Phosphorus (µg/L) | 700 | 660 |
| Free Reactive Phosphorus (µg/L) | ||
| NOx Nitrogen (µg/L) | 180 | 80 |
| Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (mg/L) | 0.91 | 1.5 |
| Nitrate (µg/L) | ||
| Nitrite (µg/L) |
Key
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