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

Tugg505 - Winding Creek at Glendale

Site Condition Summary

This site received urban runoff from the suburban outskirts of Newcastle. As such, flow may be very sporadic and often low. The riparian zone had been heavily altered. Exotic species had replaced the native vegetation, and banks appeared altered for flood mitigation. With much of the native riparian vegetation removed, the stream was poorly shaded.

Visual assessment indicated the instream habitat was poor. The creek was choked with macrophytes which grew out of black anoxic, odourous sediments. Exotic mosquito fish were also noted.

Visual assessment reported poor water quality, with the water having a slight milky appearance. Turbidity and nitrogen concentrations were above what would be expected for streams of this type. Dissolved oxygen was low but this is common in low gradient, low altitude coastal streams such as this.

A single AusRivAS assessment indicated a very impoverished fauna was present in the edge habitats (O/E-Taxa value 0.25).

Location Map

Location Map

Location Details
Map Name Wallsend 9232-3-S
Map Zone 56
Map Scale 1:25000
Easting 372700
Northing 6355400
Distance from source (m) 6250
Elevation (m asl) 0
Average Annual Rainfall (mm) 1100

Single Season Assessments

Edge
  Autumn '97
  20-Apr-97
O/E Taxa 0.25
Band C
O/E SIGNAL 0.80

Riffle

Combined Season Assessments

Edge

Riffle

Taxa Collected

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

Edge
      Autumn '97
Phylum Class/Order Family 20-Apr-97
Annelida Hirudinea Glossiphoniidae +
Annelida Oligochaeta   +
Arachnida Hydracarina   X
Crustacea Decapoda Atyidae O
Crustacea Ostracoda   X
Insecta Coleoptera Chrysomelidae +
Insecta Coleoptera Dytiscidae O
Insecta Coleoptera Hydraenidae O
Insecta Coleoptera Hydrophilidae O
Insecta Coleoptera Scirtidae O
Insecta Collembola   +
Insecta Diptera Chironominae X
Insecta Diptera Orthocladiinae O
Insecta Diptera Tanypodinae O
Insecta Ephemeroptera Leptophlebiidae O
Insecta Hemiptera Corixidae +
Insecta Hemiptera Gerridae O
Insecta Hemiptera Hydrometridae O
Insecta Hemiptera Mesoveliidae O
Insecta Hemiptera Veliidae O
Insecta Odonata Aeshnidae +
Insecta Odonata Coenagrionidae +
Insecta Odonata Corduliidae +
Insecta Odonata Libellulidae +
Insecta Trichoptera Leptoceridae O
Mollusca Bivalvia Corbiculidae +
Mollusca Gastropoda Hydrobiidae +
Mollusca Gastropoda Lymnaeidae +
Platyhelminthes Turbellaria Dugesiidae +

Riffle

Water Quality Data

  Autumn '97
Variable 20-Apr-97
Water Temperature (°C) 16.2
Conductivity (µS/cm) 360
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) 3.71
Alkalinity (mg CaCO3/L) 66
pH 6.91
Turbidity (NTU) 31.5
Low Total Phosphorus (µg/L)  
Free Reactive Phosphorus (µg/L)  
NOx Nitrogen (µg/L) 60
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (mg/L) 1.2
Ammonia (µg/L)  
Nitrate (µg/L)  
Nitrite (µg/L)  

Key

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