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
Hunt847 - Hunter River at Elderslie
Site Condition Summary
This site was in grazing country downstream of Singleton. Native riparian vegetation had been mostly cleared and replaced by exotic species. This permitted cattle access to the river which had contributed to bank collapse and erosion.
Water quality variables were mostly within the ranges considered normal for this river type.
AusRivAS assessments indicated slight impairment of the macroinvertebrate community. O/E-Taxa values of 0.85 and 0.70 were derived for samples collected in May and December 1997 respectively. The combined season assessment was 0.88. The surface dwelling bugs, Gerridae and Veliidae, were predicted but absent from edge samples, and Trichoptera (caddis flies) were also poorly represented in the samples.
Location Map
| Map Name | Elderslie 9132-1-N |
| Map Zone | 56 |
| Map Scale | 1:25000 |
| Easting | 344700 |
| Northing | 6390400 |
| Distance from source (m) | 318616 |
| Elevation (m asl) | 20 |
| Average Annual Rainfall (mm) | 850 |
Sampling Data and Assessments
Single Season Assessments
| Autumn '97 | Spring '97 | |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Apr-97 | 22-Oct-97 | |
| O/E Taxa | 0.85 | 0.70 |
| Band | A | B |
| O/E SIGNAL | 0.87 | 0.78 |
Riffle
Combined Season Assessments
| Seasons | AUT97SPR97 |
|---|---|
| Model | Eastern |
| O/E Taxa | 0.88 |
| Band | A |
| O/E SIGNAL | 0.90 |
Riffle
Taxa Collected
X= Taxa Predicted & Collected, O = Taxa Predicted & NOT Collected, + = Taxa Collected & NOT Predicted
| Autumn '97 | Spring '97 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phylum | Class/Order | Family | 16-Apr-97 | 22-Oct-97 |
| Annelida | Oligochaeta | X | ||
| Arachnida | Hydracarina | O | X | |
| Crustacea | Decapoda | Atyidae | X | O |
| Crustacea | Decapoda | Palaemonidae | + | |
| Crustacea | Ostracoda | + | ||
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Dytiscidae | X | X |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Elmidae | O | O |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Hydraenidae | + | |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Hydrophilidae | X | O |
| Insecta | Diptera | Ceratopogonidae | O | |
| Insecta | Diptera | Chironominae | X | X |
| Insecta | Diptera | Orthocladiinae | X | |
| Insecta | Diptera | Simuliidae | + | |
| Insecta | Diptera | Tanypodinae | X | X |
| Insecta | Diptera | Tipulidae | + | |
| Insecta | Ephemeroptera | Baetidae | X | X |
| Insecta | Ephemeroptera | Caenidae | X | X |
| Insecta | Ephemeroptera | Leptophlebiidae | X | O |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Corixidae | X | X |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Gerridae | O | O |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Mesoveliidae | + | |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Notonectidae | X | |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Veliidae | O | O |
| Insecta | Odonata | Coenagrionidae | + | + |
| Insecta | Odonata | Gomphidae | X | |
| Insecta | Odonata | Libellulidae | X | + |
| Insecta | Plecoptera | Gripopterygidae | O | |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Calamoceratidae | O | O |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Hydroptilidae | O | |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Leptoceridae | O | X |
| Mollusca | Bivalvia | Corbiculidae | + | |
| Mollusca | Gastropoda | Physidae | X |
Riffle
Water Quality Data
| Autumn '97 | Spring '97 | |
|---|---|---|
| Variable | 16-Apr-97 | 22-Oct-97 |
| Water Temperature (°C) | 23.6 | 18.3 |
| Conductivity (µS/Cm) | 700 | 676 |
| Alkalinity (mg CaCO3 /L) | 160 | 150 |
| pH | 8.69 | 8.51 |
| Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) | 11.2 | 11 |
| Turbidity (NTU) | 29.5 | 19.2 |
| Low Total Phosphorus (µg/L) | 69 | 92 |
| Free Reactive Phosphorus (µg/L) | ||
| NOx Nitrogen (µg/L) | <10 | <10 |
| Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (mg/L) | 0.38 | 0.52 |
| Nitrate (µg/L) | ||
| Nitrite (µg/L) |
Key
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