Gosford City Council Historical Water Quality Review & Analysis

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FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR WATER QUALITY / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH MONITORING 4-2 • Human impacted zones do not deteriorate further • Critical habitats such as seagrass beds do not deteriorate. The CRC EHMP is based on a conceptual model of ecosystem processes. The model focuses on assessing the responses of the ecosystem to natural and human impacts, as shown in the figure below. The EHMP uses a range of biological indicators and water quality parameters to assess the ecosystem, and gauge the effectiveness of management practices being implemented within the catchments and around the foreshores. Figure 4.1 Conceptual model of the current ecosystem health of Moreton Bay and its river estuaries (Coastal CRC) Information collected by the CRC that contributes to the assessment of ecosystem health includes: • water quality • extent of sewage plumes • seagrass loss and recovery • toxic algal blooms • occurrence of nuisance algae • phytoplankton growth responses • turtle and dugong populations A few of these are described further below. 4.2.1.1 <strong>Water</strong> quality <strong>Water</strong> quality monitoring is carried out monthly, and includes physical and chemical parameters. Physical indicators comprise Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, Salinity, Temperature and pH, while chemical indicators include Total Nitrogen; Ammonia; Oxides of Nitrogen; Total Phosphorus, Filterable Reactive Phosphorus; and chlorophyll-a. D:\R.N0754.002.01.DOC 7/11/03 16:11
FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR WATER QUALITY / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH MONITORING 4-3 4.2.1.2 Seagrass The depth range of the seagrass Zostera capricorni is monitored twice yearly at 18 locations throughout Moreton Bay. In the bay, the depth at which this seagrass can grow depends on water quality, particularly light availability (refer Figure 4.2). Detection of changes to the seagrass depth range therefore provides an indication of long term integrated water quality throughout the bay and if it is impacting on the integrity of these critical habitats. Figure 4.2 Seagrass depth range measures the distance between the upper tidal limit of seagrass distribution and the lower light-limited distribution 4.2.1.3 Sewage Sewage effluent can contribute to the eutrophication of receiving estuarine and coastal waterways. It is important to be able to trace the source and extent of sewage effluent in receiving waters in order to evaluate the extent of its impact on the ecosystem. The use of nitrogen stable isotopes enables the detection and delineation of sewage-derived nitrogen from other nitrogen sources entering the waterways and its potential influence on the ecosystem. The most abundant form of naturally occurring nitrogen is 14 N. Sewage is generally enriched in 15 N compared to 14 N and therefore the relative proportion of 15 N to 14 N, referred to as d 15 N, is elevated in receiving waters of sewage treatment plants. 4.2.1.4 Report cards Report cards are provided annually outlining the overall condition of the South-East Queensland waterways, based on the EHMP results. An example of an EHMP report card is provided in Figure 4.3, while an example plot of the spatial representation of the Ecosystem Health Index is presented in Figure 4.4. The report cards provide a clear picture of the overall health of the waterways, and more importantly, how they relate to previous years. By comparing the waterway health with past results, managers and decision-makers can obtain quantitative feedback on the relative success of various management measures implemented within the catchments. The report cards are released each year amid the Annual Riverfestival, which is designed to maximise community awareness and ownership of the waterways and their issues. D:\R.N0754.002.01.DOC 7/11/03 16:11
Page 1 and 2: Gosford City Council Historical Wat
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS I CONTENTS Contents List o
Page 5 and 6: LIST OF FIGURES III 4.4 Outcomes fr
Page 7 and 8: LIST OF TABLES V Table 3.23 Water Q
Page 9 and 10: INTRODUCTION 1-2 locations in Brisb
Page 11 and 12: INTRODUCTION 1-4 aquatic ecosystems
Page 13 and 14: INTRODUCTION 1-6 Default trigger va
Page 15 and 16: GWQ: A DATA MANAGEMENT AND ASSESSME
Page 23 and 24: RESULTS OF WATER QUALITY DATA ANALY
Page 43: FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR WATER QUALITY
Page 47 and 48: FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR WATER QUALITY
Page 67 and 68: MHL DATASONDE RESULTS: AVOCA LAGOON
Page 69: MHL DATASONDE RESULTS: KOOLEWONG C-

Gosford City Council Historical Water Quality Review & Analysis

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