Palerang
Indicator: Surface Water Quality
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Palerang
Palerang Council is located in both the Murrumbidgee and Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authorities areas. The majority of Palerang’s rivers and creeks form part of the catchments of the Murrumbidgee and Shoalhaven rivers. Water from these river systems also sustains much of Palerang’s irrigated agriculture.
This assessment is based primarily on the results for three key determinants of surface water quality; electrical conductivity, total phosphorus and turbidity levels, at three sites in Palerang. Other physio-chemical parameters for two sites are also reported, including dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature and total suspended solids.
These sites are the Googong storage river inflow and the Molonglo River at Burbong, which are both in the Murrumbidgee catchment, and the Shoalhaven River at Warri.
Trends in surface water quality
Palerang surface water monitoring sites are at:
- Googong storage river inflow (site number 41010199)
- Molonglo River at Burbong (site number 410705)
- Shoalhaven River at Warri (site number 215002).
| Parameter* and location | Median values | Default trigger values ** | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–2000 | 2000–04 | 2004-08 | ||
| Googong Storage River Inflow (41010199) | ||||
| Dissolved oxygen (mg/L) | 9 | 10 | 9 | |
| Dissolved oxygen saturation (%) | 98 | 96 | 95 | Between 90-110 |
| Electrical conductivity (µS/cm) | 88 | 74 | 95 | 350 |
| pH | 8.1 | 7.7 | 7.5 | Between 6.5 - 7.5 |
| Temperature (degrees C) | - | - | 15 | |
| Total phosphorus (µg/L) | 9 | 14 | 25 | 20 |
| Total suspended solids (mg/L) | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
| Turbidity (NTU) | 7 | 4 | 5 | 25 |
| Molonglo River at Burbong (410705) | ||||
| Dissolved oxygen (mg/L) | - | - | 7 | |
| Dissolved oxygen saturation (%) | - | 79 | 74 | Between 90-110 |
| Electrical conductivity (µS/cm) | - | 372 | 369 | 350 |
| pH | - | 7.4 | 7 | Between 6.5 - 7.5 |
| Temperature (degrees C) | - | - | 19 | |
| Total phosphorus (µg/L) | - | 11 | 20 | 20 |
| Total suspended solids (mg/L) | - | 2 | 5 | |
| Turbidity (NTU) | - | 2 | 5 | 25 |
| Shoalhaven River at Warri (215002) | ||||
| Electrical conductivity (µS/cm) | 104 | 116 | 125 | 350 |
| Total phosphorus (µg/L) | 15 | 13 | 12 | 20 |
| Turbidity (NTU) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 25 |
* µS/cm = microsiemens per centimetre; µg/L = microgram per litre; NTU = nephelometric turbidity unit; ** For information on default trigger values, see About the Data
Source: NSW Provisional River Data, 2008
Googong Storage River Inflow
The median values for the physio-chemical parameters at the Googong Storage were all within the default trigger limits, with the exception of total phosphorus. The total phosphorus concentration increased over the current reporting period, to over the default trigger value. The median value for pH was at the upper limit of the default trigger value range, an improvement after having exceeded this limit in previous reporting periods.
Molonglo River at Burbong
The median value for dissolved oxygen saturation was below the lower limit for the default trigger value during the current reporting period, while the median value for electrical conductivity was above the default trigger value, for the Molongo River. Other water quality parameters at this site were within the default trigger values for the current period, a trend consistent with the previous reporting period. It is noted that total phosphorus increased from the previous reporting period and is now equal to the default trigger value.
Shoalhaven River at Warri
The water quality monitoring results were all within the existing default trigger values for the Shoalhaven River. There was no significant change between the current and pervious reporting periods.
Other studies
No information was available on the Waterwatch monitoring programs for Palerang. However water quality monitoring is undertaken on the Butmaroo Creek Catchment.
About the data
Data for the monitoring sites covered in this report were from the NSW Department of Water and Energy (DWE) http://www.dwe.nsw.gov.au/
Data is routinely reported at http://nratlas.nsw.gov.au. DWE is responsible for quality control and on-going maintenance of the data collected in its databases.
Interpreting the data
Default environmental value
The Water Quality and River Flow Interim Environmental Objectives for NSW (EPA 1999), which are still current, indicate that protection of aquatic ecosystems is the default environmental value for most water bodies in catchments associated with Palerang Council area. Although individual councils are free to assign additional or different value through local processes and based on site-specific information, so far no councils in the Australian Capital Region have done so.
Default trigger values
The default trigger values used in this report were those values set out in Australian & New Zealand Water Environment & Conservation Council (ANZECC) and Agricultural and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ) (2001). The values applicable to the Australian Capital Region are those for "south-east Australia for slightly disturbed ecosystems" (ANZECC and ARMCANZ 2001). The default trigger values for different water quality parameters for the protection of aquatic ecosystems are based on the type of water body in question. Compared to most other environmental objectives, the protection of aquatic ecosystems is one that requires more stringent water quality guidelines.
The median value (i.e. middle value of a data series) for each monitoring site in the shire over the reporting period was compared with the default trigger value from the guideline values suggested in ANZECC and ARMCANZ (2001). This approach was recommended when no environmental values were set, water quality objectives were not determined, local reference sites were unavailable and local site-specific information could not be sourced. This broad reporting approach cannot be used to assess 'compliance'; it is merely a warning system to alert natural resource managers.
The data was firstly sourced from the NSW Natural Resource Atlas. If the relevant data wasn’t available from this resource, the information supplied from the NSW Department of Water and Energy (DWE) was used. The data from the NSW Natural Resource Atlas generally provided daily data on stream flow and electrical conductivity, amongst others. Whereas the data supplied by the DWE had periodic samples of the data, however did include values for the turbidity and total phosphorus.
Electrical conductivity is a measure of the ability of water to conduct an electric current. This is considered an appropriate indicator of salinity, as it is proportional to the concentration of total dissolved salts in water.
Phosphorus is considered as a key indicator of eutrophication in Australian freshwaters because it is typically a limiting nutrient for primary production under natural conditions (Cullen 1986; Donelly et al. 1992). Total phosphorus is analysed as it represents an aggregation of all fractions of phosphorus reaching the water column from various processes and it represents the potential maximum concentration of phosphorus available for biological uptake (NSW EPA 2000).
Australia has naturally turbid waters, owing to deeply weathered soils rich in clay-sized particles. These particles are readily transported to streams during storms. Because of their colloidal nature they remain suspended in the water column, resulting in high turbidity (Cullen 1986). In addition to natural causes, the turbidity of many waters has increased as a result of human-induced erosion through practices such as land clearing (agriculture and forestry), urbanisation, extractive industries and river regulation (Walker 1985). Turbidity is a measure of light scattering and absorptive properties of water, which are roughly proportional to the type and concentration of suspended matter. It is therefore commonly used as an indicator of the amount of suspended matter in the water column, although quantitative relationships between the two are difficult to define, because various types of suspended material have different light-scattering properties.
Additional data
Other potential sources of water quality monitoring data include the Community Access to Natural Resources Information (CANRI) website and the Waterwatch program.
References
Australian & New Zealand Water Environment & Conservation Council (ANZECC) (1992) Australian Water Quality Guidelines for Fresh & Marine Waters, Prepared for the National Water Quality Management Strategy
ANZECC & Agricultural and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ) (2001) Australian Water Quality Guidelines for Fresh & Marine Waters, Prepared for the National Water Quality Management Strategy
Australian Government (2008), Australian Natural Resources Atlas, viewed at http://www.anra.gov.au/index.html on 7 October 2008
Cullen, P. 1986, ‘Managing nutrients in aquatic ecosystems: the eutrophication problem’, in Deckker P. & Williams W.D. (eds) Limnology in Australia, CSIRO, Melbourne, pp.539–554.
Donnelly, T.H., Caitcheon, G.G. & Wasson, R.J. 1992, ‘Algal blooms in inland Australian water systems: sourcing nutrients and turbidity’, in CSIRO Division of Water Resources Divisional Report 92/4, CSIRO, Canberra, pp.74–81
MDBC, 2008, Sustainable Rivers Audit – A report on the Ecological Health of rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin, 2004-2007, Murray Darling Basin Commission, SRA Report 1, June 2008. Viewed at http://www.mdbc.gov.au/SRA on 10 October 2008.
NSW EPA (2000) NSW 2000 State of the Environment Report – Waters Chapter
NSW NRA (2008), New South Wales Natural Resource Atlas: NSW Provisional River Data, viewed at http://nratlas.nsw.gov.au on 7 October 2008
Walker, K.F. 1985, ‘A review of the ecological effects of river regulation in Australia’, Hydrobiologia vol.125, pp.111–129
Waterwatch NSE (2006), Waterwatch NSW, view at http://www.waterwatch.nsw.gov.au/index.html on 7 October 2008
