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

Dora Creek

Tugg570 - Dora Creek at Cooranbong

Site Condition Summary

This site is was surrounded by rural-residential areas with the sampling reach a "cut off" section of Dora Creek The riparian zone at the site had been partly cleared and infested by exotic plant species.

The instream habitat had been altered by macrophyte and algal growth. There appeared to be some modification to channel structure as well. The water appeared milky and turbid on both sampling occasions. Measured conductivity, turbidity and phosphorus concentrations were high.

AusRivAS assessments indicated the macroinvertebrate communities at the site to be impaired. Although most major taxonomic groups were collected, Atyidae (shrimps) and two common Hemiptera (true bugs) families were predicted but not collected on either sampling occasion.

The total number of families collected at this site was quite high, however, many of them were non-predicted Diptera (true flies) and Gastropoda (snails) families. These taxa are often abundant in streams affected by organic pollution and nutrient enrichment.

Location Map

Location Map

Location Details
Map Name Morisset 9131-1-N
Map Zone 56
Map Scale 1:25000
Easting 355300
Northing 6339000
Distance from source (m) 13612
Elevation (m asl) 30
Average Annual Rainfall (mm) 1100

Sampling Data and Assessments

Single Season Assessments

Edge
  Autumn '99 Spring '99
  29-Mar-99 16-Dec-99
O/E Taxa 0.77 0.76
Band B B
O/E SIGNAL 0.78 1.10

Riffle

Combined Season Assessments

Edge
Seasons AUT99SPR99
Model Eastern
O/E Taxa 0.79
Band B
O/E SIGNAL 1.05

Riffle

Taxa Collected

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

Edge
      Autumn '99 Spring '99
Phylum Class/Order Family 29-Mar-99 16-Dec-99
Annelida Hirudinea Glossiphoniidae +  
Annelida Oligochaeta   + +
Arachnida Hydracarina   X O
Crustacea Decapoda Atyidae O O
Crustacea Decapoda Parastacidae + +
Crustacea Ostracoda   O  
Insecta Coleoptera Curculionidae   +
Insecta Coleoptera Dytiscidae X X
Insecta Coleoptera Hydraenidae X  
Insecta Coleoptera Hydrophilidae X X
Insecta Coleoptera Scirtidae O X
Insecta Collembola   +  
Insecta Diptera Chironominae X X
Insecta Diptera Culicidae   O
Insecta Diptera Orthocladiinae X  
Insecta Diptera Stratiomyidae   +
Insecta Diptera Tanyderidae +  
Insecta Diptera Tanypodinae O X
Insecta Ephemeroptera Baetidae +  
Insecta Ephemeroptera Leptophlebiidae O X
Insecta Hemiptera Belostomatidae + +
Insecta Hemiptera Corixidae +  
Insecta Hemiptera Gerridae O O
Insecta Hemiptera Hebridae   +
Insecta Hemiptera Hydrometridae O O
Insecta Hemiptera Mesoveliidae X +
Insecta Hemiptera Naucoridae + +
Insecta Hemiptera Pleidae   +
Insecta Hemiptera Veliidae X X
Insecta Lepidoptera Pyralidae   +
Insecta Odonata Coenagrionidae + +
Insecta Odonata Corduliidae + +
Insecta Trichoptera Leptoceridae X X
Mollusca Gastropoda Lymnaeidae   +
Mollusca Gastropoda Physidae + +
Mollusca Gastropoda Planorbidae + +

Riffle

Water Quality Data

  Autumn '99 Spring '99
Variable 29-Mar-99 16-Dec-99
Water Temperature (°C) 20.2 20.9
Conductivity (µS/cm) 571 864
Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) 3.7 4.5
Alkalinity (mg CaCO3/L) 60 60
pH 6.39 6.53
Turbidity (NTU) 40.9  
Low Total Phosphorus (µg/L) 640 360
Free Reactive Phosphorus (µg/L) 13 5
NOx Nitrogen (µg/L) 5 10
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (mg/L) <0.3 2.2
Ammonia (µg/L) 18 42
Nitrate (µg/L) 5 7
Nitrite (µg/L) <1 4

Key

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