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

Karu540 - Karuah River downstream Mammy Johnsons River

Site Condition Summary
Sampling Data and Assessments
Site report cards

Site Condition Summary

This site on the Karuah River was just downstream of the confluence with Mammy Johnsons River and just upstream of Barnes Creek. The adjacent floodplain was used for cattle grazing. The right bank was cleared of riparian vegetation, and the left supported a mixture of native and exotic species.

Bank clearing enabled cattle to access the stream which has degraded the instream habitat through trampling. Field observations reported considerable mats of filamentous algae, and a thick algal scum and foam on the water surface. Nutrient concentrations were low despite inputs of cow dung to the stream, and all other water quality variables were within expected ranges.

Combined and single season assessments of edge habitats indicated the richness of macroinvertebrate families was similar to that expected at a reference condition site. Similarly, assessments for the riffle habitat indicated relatively undisturbed condition.

For the edge habitat, predicted taxa that were not collected within that season, were usually collected in the alternate season, except for Calamoceratidae (caddis fies) that were predicted but not collected in either season. Odonata (dragonflies) were particularly diverse in the edge sample in Spring. As for the edge habitat, those predicted taxa not collected were present in alternate samples.

Location Map

Location Details
Map Name	Stroud Road 9233-2-N
Map Zone	56
Map Scale	1:25000
Easting	398500
Northing	6419100
Distance from source (m)	51268
Elevation (m asl)	30
Average Annual Rainfall (mm)	1100

Single Season Assessments

Edge
	Autumn '98	Spring '98
	9-Apr-98	14-Oct-98
O/E Taxa	0.91	0.98
Band	A	A
O/E SIGNAL	0.94	0.93

Riffle
	Autumn '98	Spring '98
	9-Apr-98	14-Oct-98
O/E Taxa	1.08	0.98
Band	A	A
O/E SIGNAL	0.89	1.01

Combined Season Assessments

Edge
Seasons	AUT98SPR98
Model	Eastern
O/E Taxa	1.21
Band	X
O/E SIGNAL	0.97

Riffle
Seasons	AUT98SPR98
O/E Taxa	1.13
Band	A
O/E SIGNAL	0.96

Taxa Collected

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

Edge
			Autumn '98	Spring '98
Phylum	Class/Order	Family	9-Apr-98	14-Oct-98
Annelida	Oligochaeta			+
Arachnida	Hydracarina		X	X
Crustacea	Cladocera	Cladocera	+
Crustacea	Decapoda	Atyidae	X	X
Crustacea	Isopoda	Sphaeromatidae	+	+
Insecta	Coleoptera	Dytiscidae	X	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Elmidae	X	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Gyrinidae		O
Insecta	Coleoptera	Hydrophilidae	X	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Pselaphidae		+
Insecta	Coleoptera	Psephenidae	+
Insecta	Collembola	Collembola	+
Insecta	Diptera	Ceratopogonidae	+	+
Insecta	Diptera	Chironominae	X	X
Insecta	Diptera	Dixidae		O
Insecta	Diptera	Orthocladiinae	O	X
Insecta	Diptera	Simuliidae		+
Insecta	Diptera	Tanypodinae	X	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Baetidae	X	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Caenidae	O	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Leptophlebiidae	O	X
Insecta	Hemiptera	Corixidae	X
Insecta	Hemiptera	Gerridae	O	X
Insecta	Hemiptera	Mesoveliidae		+
Insecta	Hemiptera	Notonectidae	+	O
Insecta	Hemiptera	Veliidae	X	O
Insecta	Megaloptera	Corydalidae		+
Insecta	Odonata	Coenagrionidae	+
Insecta	Odonata	Corduliidae		+
Insecta	Odonata	Gomphidae	X	+
Insecta	Odonata	Isostictidae		+
Insecta	Odonata	Libellulidae	X	+
Insecta	Odonata	Protoneuridae		+
Insecta	Odonata	Synlestidae		+
Insecta	Plecoptera	Gripopterygidae		+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Calamoceratidae	O	O
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydropsychidae	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydroptilidae	+	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Leptoceridae	X	X
Mollusca	Bivalvia	Corbiculidae	+
Mollusca	Gastropoda	Hydrobiidae	+	+
Mollusca	Gastropoda	Physidae		+
Mollusca	Gastropoda	Planorbidae	+	+
Platyhelminthes	Turbellaria	Dugesiidae	+

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

Riffle
			Autumn '98	Spring '98
Phylum	Class/Order	Family	9-Apr-98	14-Oct-98
Platyhelminthes	Turbellaria		X	O
Mollusca	Gastropoda	Hydrobiidae	+	+
Mollusca	Bivalvia	Corbiculidae	+
Annelida	Hirudinea	Glossiphoniidae	+
Annelida	Oligochaeta	Oligochaeta	X	X
Arachnida	Hydracarina	Hydracarina	X	O
Crustacea	Isopoda	Sphaeromatidae	+	+
Crustacea	Decapoda	Atyidae	X	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Dytiscidae	+	+
Insecta	Coleoptera	Hydraenidae		+
Insecta	Coleoptera	Elmidae	X	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Psephenidae	X	O
Insecta	Diptera	Tipulidae	X	X
Insecta	Diptera	Ceratopogonidae	+
Insecta	Diptera	Simuliidae	X	X
Insecta	Diptera	Tanypodinae	X	X
Insecta	Diptera	Orthocladiinae	X	X
Insecta	Diptera	Chironominae	X	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Baetidae	X	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Leptophlebiidae	O	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Caenidae	X	X
Insecta	Lepidoptera	Pyralidae	+
Insecta	Megaloptera	Corydalidae	X	X
Insecta	Odonata	Amphipterygidae	+
Insecta	Odonata	Aeshnidae		O
Insecta	Odonata	Gomphidae	+	O
Insecta	Odonata	Libellulidae	+
Insecta	Plecoptera	Gripopterygidae	O	X
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydrobiosidae	X	X
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydroptilidae	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Philopotamidae	X	X
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydropsychidae	X	X
Insecta	Trichoptera	Ecnomidae	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Conoesucidae		O
Insecta	Trichoptera	Leptoceridae	O	X

Water Quality Data

	Autumn '98	Spring '98
Variable	9-Apr-98	14-Oct-98
Water Temperature (°C)	21	17.8
Conductivity (µS/Cm)	248	264
Alkalinity (mg CaCO₃ /L)	6.3	8.6
pH	64	50
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)	7.7	7.47
Turbidity (NTU)	0	0
Low Total Phosphorus (µg/L)	27	23
Free Reactive Phosphorus (µg/L)	10	8
NOx Nitrogen (µg/L)	4	12
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (mg/L)	0.39	0.31
Ammonia (µg/L)	13	8
Nitrate (µg/L)	2	9
Nitrite (µg/L)	3	2

Key

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