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

Mann19 - Gloucester River at Gloucester Road

Site Condition Summary
Sampling Data and Assessments
Site report cards

Site Condition Summary

This site on the Gloucester River was on the edge of the Barrington Tops National Park. The site was surrounded by dense native forest which extended to the stream edge.

Water quality was good, with nutrient concentrations below detection limits and other variables within ranges expected for a relatively undisturbed stream of this type.

AusRivAS assessments were all indicative of rich macroinvertebrate fauna. O/E-Taxa values were all 0.89 or above, with several values >1. The lowest value was recorded for the riffle sample collected in Spring 1995 and maybe due to the absence of both Corixidae and Veliidae (true bugs) which were collected in riffle samples on other occasions. Otherwise, the macroinvertebrate fauna in both the edge and riffle habitats was rich and included representatives of all the major macroinvertebrate groups.

Location Map

Location Details
Map Name	Gloucester Tops 9233-4-N
Map Zone	56
Map Scale	1:25000
Easting	375900
Northing	6452600
Distance from source (m)	15704
Elevation (m asl)	360
Average Annual Rainfall (mm)	850

Single Season Assessments

Edge
	Autumn '95	Spring '95	Autumn '96
	7-Apr-95	6-Oct-95	4-Apr-96
O/E Taxa	0.97	0.89	1.03
Band	A	A	A
O/E SIGNAL	0.97	1.07	1.11

Riffle
	Spring '95	Autumn '96
	6-Oct-95	4-Apr-96
O/E Taxa	1.08	0.91
Band	A	A
O/E SIGNAL	0.98	1.04

Combined Season

Edge
Seasons	AUT95SPR95	SPR95AUT96
Model	Eastern	Eastern
O/E Taxa	1.08	0.95
Band	A	A
O/E SIGNAL	1.01	1.05

Riffle
Seasons	SPR95AUT96
O/E Taxa	0.93
Band	A
O/E SIGNAL	1.04

Taxa Collected

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

Edge
			Autumn '95	Spring '95	Autumn '96
Phylum	Class/Order	Family	7-Apr-95	6-Oct-95	4-Apr-96
Arachnida	Hydracarina		O	X	X
Crustacea	Cladocera	Cladocera		+
Crustacea	Decapoda	Atyidae	X	O	O
Insecta	Coleoptera	Dytiscidae	X	O	O
Insecta	Coleoptera	Elmidae	X	X	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Gyrinidae	X	X	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Hydraenidae		+
Insecta	Coleoptera	Hydrophilidae	X	X	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Ptilodactylidae	+
Insecta	Coleoptera	Scirtidae	O	+	X
Insecta	Diptera	Chironominae	O	X	O
Insecta	Diptera	Dixidae	O	O	O
Insecta	Diptera	Orthocladiinae	X	X	O
Insecta	Diptera	Podonominae			+
Insecta	Diptera	Tanypodinae	O	X	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Ameletopsidae		+
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Baetidae	X	X	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Caenidae	X	X	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Leptophlebiidae	X	X	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Oniscigastridae		+
Insecta	Hemiptera	Corixidae	X	O	X
Insecta	Hemiptera	Gerridae	X	O	X
Insecta	Hemiptera	Hebridae			+
Insecta	Hemiptera	Notonectidae	O	O	O
Insecta	Hemiptera	Veliidae	X	O	X
Insecta	Megaloptera	Corydalidae			+
Insecta	Odonata	Aeshnidae		+	+
Insecta	Odonata	Synlestidae		+
Insecta	Plecoptera	Eustheniidae	+
Insecta	Plecoptera	Gripopterygidae	X	+	X
Insecta	Plecoptera	Notonemouridae			+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Calamoceratidae	O	X	X
Insecta	Trichoptera	Calocidae	+		+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Helicopsychidae		+	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydropsychidae	+		+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydroptilidae	+		+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Leptoceridae	X	X	X
Insecta	Trichoptera	Odontoceridae		+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Tasimiidae		+

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

Riffle
			Spring '95	Autumn '96
Phylum	Class/Order	Family	6-Oct-95	4-Apr-96
Platyhelminthes	Turbellaria			O
Annelida	Oligochaeta	Oligochaeta		O
Arachnida	Hydracarina	Hydracarina	X	X
Crustacea	Decapoda	Atyidae	+	O
Insecta	Coleoptera	Hydrophilidae	+
Insecta	Coleoptera	Hydraenidae		+
Insecta	Coleoptera	Scirtidae	X	O
Insecta	Coleoptera	Elmidae	X	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Psephenidae	X	X
Insecta	Coleoptera	Ptilodactylidae	+
Insecta	Diptera	Tipulidae	O	X
Insecta	Diptera	Blephariceridae	+	+
Insecta	Diptera	Simuliidae	X	X
Insecta	Diptera	Empididae	+
Insecta	Diptera	Diamesinae		+
Insecta	Diptera	Tanypodinae	X	O
Insecta	Diptera	Orthocladiinae	X	X
Insecta	Diptera	Chironominae	X	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Siphlonuridae	+
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Baetidae	X	X
Insecta	Ephemeroptera	Leptophlebiidae	X	X
Insecta	Megaloptera	Corydalidae	X	X
Insecta	Odonata	Aeshnidae	X	O
Insecta	Odonata	Corduliidae		+
Insecta	Plecoptera	Eustheniidae	+
Insecta	Plecoptera	Gripopterygidae	X	X
Insecta	Plecoptera	Plecoptera	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydrobiosidae	X	X
Insecta	Trichoptera	Glossosomatidae	+	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Philopotamidae	X	O
Insecta	Trichoptera	Hydropsychidae	X	X
Insecta	Trichoptera	Polycentropodidae	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Conoesucidae	O
Insecta	Trichoptera	Calocidae	+	X
Insecta	Trichoptera	Odontoceridae	+
Insecta	Trichoptera	Leptoceridae	O	X

Water Quality Data

	Autumn '95	Spring '95	Autumn '96
Variable	7-Apr-95	6-Oct-95	4-Apr-96
Water Temperature (°C)	11.7	13	13.9
Conductivity (µS/Cm)	28	12	3
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L)	10.02	12.9	9.9
Alkalinity (mg CaCO₃ /L)	10	10	16
pH	6.03	7.2	7.5
Turbidity (NTU)	0	0	0
Low Total Phosphorus (µg/L)	<12	<12	<12
Free Reactive Phosphorus (µg/L)
NOx Nitrogen (µg/L)	<10	10	10
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (mg/L)	<0.3	<0.3	<0.3
Ammonia (µg/L)
Nitrate (µg/L)
Nitrite (µg/L)

Key

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