Water

Publications

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

Wallis Creek near Kurri

Hunt590 - Wallis Creek near Kurri

Site Condition Summary

Wallis Creek is a tributary of the Hunter River. This site was south (upstream) of the town of Kurri Kurri. The adjacent land use was primarily grazing. The site had been altered by land clearing which had resulted in some bank degradation.

The creek was shallow with no stream shading. The water appeared stained from iron precipitates. Water quality analyses indicated low concentrations of nutrients, but higher than expected water temperature and conductivity in both seasons.

The macroinvertebrate fauna in the edge habitat was impaired (O/E-Taxa values of 0.51 and 0.67). The combined season assessment was intermediate. Most notably, Hemiptera (true bugs) were poorly represented in the edge samples, several predicted taxa were not collected.

Location Map

Location Map

Location Details
Map Name Cessnock 9132-2-N
Map Zone 56
Map Scale 1:25000
Easting 357700
Northing 6361500
Distance from source (m) 14496
Elevation (m asl) 30
Average Annual Rainfall (mm) 1100

Sampling Data and Assessments

Single Season Assessments

Edge
  Autumn '99 Spring '99
  16-Mar-99 14-Dec-99
O/E Taxa 0.51 0.67
Band B B
O/E SIGNAL 1.03 0.98

Riffle

Combined Season Assessments

Edge
Seasons AUT99SPR99
Model Eastern
O/E Taxa 0.58
Band B
O/E SIGNAL 1.03

Riffle

Taxa Collected

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

Edge
      Autumn '99 Spring '99
Phylum Class/Order Family 16-Mar-99 14-Dec-99
Arachnida Hydracarina   O O
Crustacea Decapoda Atyidae O X
Crustacea Ostracoda Ostracoda O  
Insecta Coleoptera Dytiscidae X X
Insecta Coleoptera Hydraenidae O  
Insecta Coleoptera Hydrophilidae X X
Insecta Coleoptera Scirtidae O O
Insecta Diptera Chironominae X X
Insecta Diptera Culicidae   O
Insecta Diptera Orthocladiinae O +
Insecta Diptera Simuliidae   +
Insecta Diptera Tanypodinae X X
Insecta Ephemeroptera Baetidae + +
Insecta Ephemeroptera Caenidae + +
Insecta Ephemeroptera Leptophlebiidae X X
Insecta Hemiptera Gerridae O O
Insecta Hemiptera Hydrometridae O O
Insecta Hemiptera Mesoveliidae O  
Insecta Hemiptera Naucoridae   +
Insecta Hemiptera Veliidae O O
Insecta Lepidoptera Pyralidae +  
Insecta Odonata Aeshnidae   +
Insecta Odonata Coenagrionidae + +
Insecta Odonata Corduliidae + +
Insecta Odonata Gomphidae +  
Insecta Odonata Isostictidae   +
Insecta Odonata Libellulidae + +
Insecta Trichoptera Calamoceratidae   +
Insecta Trichoptera Hydropsychidae   +
Insecta Trichoptera Leptoceridae X X
Mollusca Bivalvia Corbiculidae   +
Mollusca Gastropoda Lymnaeidae + +
Mollusca Gastropoda Physidae + +
Mollusca Gastropoda Planorbidae + +

Riffle

Water Quality Data

  Autumn '99 Spring '99
Variable 16-Mar-99 14-Dec-99
Water Temperature (°C) 28.3 28.6
Conductivity (µS/Cm) 415 878
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) 7.9 7.1
Alkalinity (mg CaCO3 /L) 50 80
pH 6.75 7.24
Turbidity (NTU) 2.2 0
Low Total Phosphorus (µg/L) <12 <12
Free Reactive Phosphorus (µg/L) 5 4
NOx Nitrogen (µg/L) 2 7
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (mg/L) 0.33 <0.3
Ammonia (µg/L) 4 11
Nitrate (µg/L) <1 7
Nitrite (µg/L) 1 <1

Key

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