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
Karu602 - Wynns Creek at Purgatory Road
Site Condition Summary
The catchment above this site was contained within the Myall River State forest. The site was surrounded by native forest and the riparian zone appeared in good condition.
The ford upstream of the site may have contributed to the silt layer that covered the substrate. Water quality was good, with low nutrient concentrations. Turbidity was elevated, presumably caused by vehicles crossing the ford. Other water quality variables were as expected for a relatively undisturbed upland stream in this region.
Macroinvertebrate communities were rich, and AusRivAS assessments indicated they were similar to those predicted for this site. O/E-Taxa values for all models were 0.99 or greater.
Location Map
| Map Name | Bulahdelah 9333-3-S |
| Map Zone | 56 |
| Map Scale | 1:25000 |
| Easting | 413900 |
| Northing | 6416900 |
| Distance from source (m) | 835 |
| Elevation (m asl) | 210 |
| Average Annual Rainfall (mm) | 1300 |
Sampling Data and Assessments
Single Season Assessments
| Autumn '97 | Spring '97 | |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Apr-97 | 24-Oct-97 | |
| O/E Taxa | 1.11 | 1.06 |
| Band | A | A |
| O/E SIGNAL | 0.93 | 1.11 |
| Autumn '97 | |
|---|---|
| 22-Apr-97 | |
| O/E Taxa | 0.99 |
| Band | A |
| O/E SIGNAL | 0.98 |
Combined Season Assessments
| Seasons | AUT97SPR97 |
|---|---|
| Model | Eastern |
| O/E Taxa | 1.15 |
| Band | A |
| O/E SIGNAL | 1.03 |
Riffle
Taxa Collected
X= Taxa Predicted & Collected, O = Taxa Predicted & NOT Collected, + = Taxa Collected & NOT Predicted
| Autumn '97 | Spring '97 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phylum | Class/Order | Family | 22-Apr-97 | 24-Oct-97 |
| Annelida | Oligochaeta | + | ||
| Arachnida | Hydracarina | X | X | |
| Crustacea | Decapoda | Atyidae | X | O |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Dytiscidae | X | O |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Elmidae | + | X |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Gyrinidae | X | X |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Hydraenidae | + | |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Hydrophilidae | + | X |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Scirtidae | O | + |
| Insecta | Diptera | Chironominae | X | O |
| Insecta | Diptera | Culicidae | + | + |
| Insecta | Diptera | Dixidae | X | |
| Insecta | Diptera | Orthocladiinae | O | |
| Insecta | Diptera | Tanypodinae | O | O |
| Insecta | Ephemeroptera | Baetidae | + | O |
| Insecta | Ephemeroptera | Leptophlebiidae | X | X |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Corixidae | + | |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Gerridae | X | X |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Notonectidae | X | X |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Pleidae | + | |
| Insecta | Hemiptera | Veliidae | X | X |
| Insecta | Odonata | Aeshnidae | X | + |
| Insecta | Odonata | Corduliidae | O | |
| Insecta | Odonata | Megapodagrionidae | X | |
| Insecta | Odonata | Synlestidae | + | |
| Insecta | Plecoptera | Gripopterygidae | + | + |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Calamoceratidae | + | X |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Helicopsychidae | + | + |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Hydroptilidae | + | + |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Leptoceridae | X | X |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Odontoceridae | + |
X= Taxa Predicted & Collected, O = Taxa Predicted & NOT Collected, + = Taxa Collected & NOT Predicted
| Autumn '97 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Phylum | Class/Order | Family | 22-Apr-97 |
| Nematomorpha | Gordioidea | Gordiidae | + |
| Annelida | Oligochaeta | Oligochaeta | X |
| Arachnida | Hydracarina | Hydracarina | X |
| Crustacea | Decapoda | Atyidae | + |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Hydrophilidae | + |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Hydraenidae | + |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Staphylinidae | + |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Scirtidae | X |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Elmidae | X |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Psephenidae | O |
| Insecta | Coleoptera | Ptilodactylidae | + |
| Insecta | Diptera | Tipulidae | O |
| Insecta | Diptera | Simuliidae | X |
| Insecta | Diptera | Tanypodinae | O |
| Insecta | Diptera | Orthocladiinae | X |
| Insecta | Diptera | Chironominae | X |
| Insecta | Ephemeroptera | Baetidae | X |
| Insecta | Ephemeroptera | Leptophlebiidae | X |
| Insecta | Megaloptera | Corydalidae | X |
| Insecta | Odonata | Aeshnidae | X |
| Insecta | Plecoptera | Eustheniidae | O |
| Insecta | Plecoptera | Gripopterygidae | X |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Hydrobiosidae | X |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Philopotamidae | X |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Hydropsychidae | X |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Polycentropodidae | + |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Tasimiidae | + |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Helicopsychidae | + |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Calocidae | O |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Odontoceridae | + |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Calamoceratidae | + |
| Insecta | Trichoptera | Leptoceridae | X |
Water Quality Data
| Autumn '97 | Spring '97 | |
|---|---|---|
| Variable | 22-Apr-97 | 24-Oct-97 |
| Water Temperature (°C) | 15.8 | 16.1 |
| Conductivity (µS/Cm) | 132 | 150 |
| Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) | 8.46 | 9.8 |
| Alkalinity (mg CaCO3 /L) | 19 | 17 |
| pH | 7.26 | 7.52 |
| Turbidity (NTU) | 10.7 | 11.8 |
| Low Total Phosphorus (µg/L) | <12 | <12 |
| Free Reactive Phosphorus (µg/L) | ||
| NOx Nitrogen (µg/L) | 20 | <10 |
| Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (mg/L) | <0.3 | <0.3 |
| Ammonia (µg/L) | ||
| Nitrate (µg/L) | ||
| Nitrite (µg/L) |
Key
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