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

Hunt577 - Halls Creek at Gungal Bridge

Site Condition Summary
Sampling Data and Assessments
Site report cards

Site Condition Summary

Halls Creek is a tributary of the Goulburn River. This site downstream of the town of Gungal was within grazing country. The riparian zone at the site appeared degraded. Native vegetation had been removed which had led to bank erosion and invasion by exotic species.

The instream habitat appeared degraded by siltation and debris from an old bridge. On both sampling occasions, extensive mats of filamentous algae were noted. Conductivity was high in both seasons, and phosphorus and nitrogen (TKN) concentrations were high in Spring.

Macroinvertebrate communities in the edge habitat were in good condition, with O/E-Taxa values of 0.87 and 1.13 for single season and combined season models respectively. The single assessment of riffle habitat condition indicated some impairment of the macroinvertebrate community.

Location Map

Location Details
Map Name	Sandy Hollow 9033-3-N
Map Zone	56
Map Scale	1:25000
Easting	265400
Northing	6425900
Distance from source (m)	46617
Elevation (m asl)	170
Average Annual Rainfall (mm)	650

Single Season Assessments

Edge
	Autumn '99	Spring '99
	6-May-99	14-Dec-99
O/E Taxa	-	0.87
Band	-	A
O/E SIGNAL	-	0.98

Riffle
	Autumn '99
	6-May-99
O/E Taxa	0.75
Band	B
O/E SIGNAL	0.98

Combined Season Assessments

Edge
Seasons	AUT99SPR99
Model	Eastern
O/E Taxa	1.13
Band	A
O/E SIGNAL	1.01

Taxa Collected

X= Taxa Predicted & Collected, O = Taxa Predicted & NOT Collected, + = Taxa Collected & NOT Predicted

Edge
			Autumn '99	Spring '99
Phylum	Class/Order	Family	6-May-99	14-Dec-99
Annelida	Oligochaeta		+
Arachnida	Hydracarina		+	X
Crustacea	Decapoda	Atyidae	+	X
Crustacea	Decapoda	Palaemonidae	+
Crustacea	Isopoda	Cirolanidae	+
Crustacea	Ostracoda	Ostracoda	+
Insecta	Coleoptera	Dytiscidae	+	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Elmidae		O
Insecta	Coleoptera	Gyrinidae	+	+
Insecta	Coleoptera	Hydrophilidae	+	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Scirtidae		+
Insecta	Diptera	Ceratopogonidae	+	+
Insecta	Diptera	Chironominae	+	X
Insecta	Diptera	Orthocladiinae	+	O
Insecta	Diptera	Simuliidae	+
Insecta	Diptera	Stratiomyidae	+
Insecta	Diptera	Tanypodinae	+	O
Insecta	Diptera	Tipulidae		+
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Baetidae	+	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Caenidae	+	O
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Leptophlebiidae	+	X
Insecta	Hemiptera	Corixidae	+	X
Insecta	Hemiptera	Gerridae		O
Insecta	Hemiptera	Notonectidae	+	X
Insecta	Hemiptera	Veliidae		O
Insecta	Odonata	Aeshnidae	+
Insecta	Odonata	Coenagrionidae	+	+
Insecta	Odonata	Corduliidae	+
Insecta	Odonata	Gomphidae	+	+
Insecta	Odonata	Libellulidae	+
Insecta	Odonata	Protoneuridae	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Ecnomidae	+	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydropsychidae	+	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Leptoceridae	+	X
Mollusca	Bivalvia	Corbiculidae	+	+
Mollusca	Gastropoda	Physidae		+
Mollusca	Gastropoda	Thiaridae	+	+

X= Taxa Predicted & Collected, O = Taxa Predicted & NOT Collected, + = Taxa Collected & NOT Predicted

Riffle
			Autumn '99
Phylum	Class/Order	Family	6-May-99
Annelida	Oligochaeta		X
Crustacea	Decapoda	Palaemonidae	O
Insecta	Coleoptera	Elmidae	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Psephenidae	+
Insecta	Diptera	Chironominae	X
Insecta	Diptera	Orthocladiinae	X
Insecta	Diptera	Simuliidae	X
Insecta	Diptera	Tanypodinae	O
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Baetidae	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Caenidae	O
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Leptophlebiidae	X
Insecta	Hemiptera	Corixidae	+
Insecta	Megaloptera	Corydalidae	X
Insecta	Odonata	Gomphidae	O
Insecta	Plecoptera	Gripopterygidae	O
Insecta	Trichoptera	Ecnomidae	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydrobiosidae	O
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydropsychidae	X
Mollusca	Bivalvia	Corbiculidae	X
Platyhelminthes	Turbellaria	Dugesiidae	O

Water Quality Data

	Autumn '99	Spring '99
Variable	6-May-99	14-Dec-99
Water Temperature (°C)	14.1	24.6
Conductivity (µS/Cm)	1432	1625
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)	10	7.6
Alkalinity (mg CaCO₃ /L)	400	57
pH	8.97	8.59
Turbidity (NTU)	1	25.5
Low Total Phosphorus (µg/L)	200	330
Free Reactive Phosphorus (µg/L)	110	260
NOx Nitrogen (µg/L)	2	9
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (mg/L)	<0.3	0.60
Ammonia (µg/L)	<3	<3
Nitrate (µg/L)	2	8
Nitrite (µg/L)	<1	<1

Key

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