Can you tell how healthy your creek is?

How to get involved

Noosa and District Landcare & WaterwatchPavilion Street, PomonaPO Box 278, Pomona, Qld 4568Phone 5485 2155www.noosalandcare.org

Noosa Integrated Catchment AssociationShop 20, Noosa MarinaTewantin, Qld 4565Phone 5449 9650www.noosariver.com.au

Mooloolah River Waterwatch & LandcareHolcim site, 2671 Steve Irwin Way, GlenviewPO Box 6202, Mooloolah Valley, Qld 4553Phone 5494 5074www.mrwl.org.au

Maroochy Waterwatch & Catchment CentreDonaldson Rd, NambourPO Box 311, Nambour, Qld 4560Phone 5476 4777www.maroochycatchmentcentre.org.au

Currimundi Catchment Care Group & Friends of Currimundi Lake1 Gam Avenue, Currimundi, Qld 4551Phone 5493 9695www.currimundicatchment.org.au

All water quality monitoring

equipment iscarefully

maintained and regularly calibrated.

The printing of this brochureis proudly supported by

WATERWATCH

S u n s h i n e C o a s t

Communities Caring for Catchments

Aquatic MacroinvertebratesWater bugs or aquatic macroinvertebrates such as yabbies, beetles, dragonfly larva and mayfly nymphs, are fascinating creatures that spend some or all of their lives in waterways. They are a vital source of food for fish, frogs and birds. We use water bugs as health indicators in biological monitoring because they reflect the aggregate of impacts on the stream. Any form of pollution in our waterways that kills off water bugs will indirectly affect the rest of the animals up the food chain. Water bugs are widespread, easy to collect, relatively immobile, and can be seen with the naked eye.

You can monitor your creek to see if it supports aquatic life and healthy ecosystems

TemperatureA healthy water temperature range with noextreme fluctuations is important, otherwiseanimals and plants become stressed. This is because temperature influences the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of a waterway. Cold water holds relatively more dissolved oxygen than hot water, which is why most organisms prefer to live in cool water. Water temperature can be influenced by soil erosion, turbidity and runoff from warm urban surfaces such as streets and driveways. Overhanging vegetation on creek banks helps regulate temperature, keeping the water cool.

Dissolved Oxygen OxygenAquatic animals and plants need oxygen inthe water to breathe through a process weall know as respiration. This dissolved oxygenin the water needs to be maintained at ahigh level for healthy and diverse ecosystemsto exist. The amount of oxygen dissolved inthe water will vary according to daily cyclesof photosynthesis and respiration, and canalso be influenced by organic matter, nutrientinputs, flow, depth, salinity, altitude, and water temperature.

pHpH measures how acidic or alkaline water ison a log scale of 1—14. Aquatic animals andplants have adapted to specific pH ranges.Slight fluctuations from the normal range cancause stress or death to organisms, depending on their sensitivity. The pH of a stream is largely determined by catchment geology and soil type. Water running off limestone would have a relatively high pH compared with streams in low lying coastal areas that have a very low pH. If acid sulfate soils are exposed or wetlands drained, sulfuric acid can be formed and released through the soil, acidifying ground and surface water.

Electrical ConductivityySalts or charged ions such as sodium, calciumand magnesium are dissolved in the waterand are required in small amounts for growthby aquatic animals and plants. Because saltsconduct electricity, electrical conductivity valuescan be converted to salinity values togive an indication of the salt content. Salinityis related to the geology and soils of thecatchment. It can also reflect human inducedchanges including urban development, oil orsewage discharges, and rising water tablescaused by over-irrigation or land clearing.

TurbidityTurbidity provides a measure of the silt ormuddiness of water caused by suspendedparticles. Turbidity is affected by geology,land use, soil type and vegetation cover.Increased turbidity reduces light penetration,limiting the growth of beneficial aquatic plants and lowering dissolved oxygen levels. Often, pollutants such as phosphorus and heavy metals can become attached to soil particles and carried into the water.

NutrientsNitrogen and phosphorus are naturally occurring elements that are essential for life.Under natural conditions, nutrient levelsvary depending on geology, soil type, landuse and rainfall. High nutrient concentrationsresulting from human activities can disruptthe delicate balance of aquatic ecosystemsleading to algal blooms, excessive weedgrowth and loss of diversity. Runoff containingfertlisers or detergents, eroded soil,animal waste and sewage can all contributeexcess nutrients. Swimming, boating andfishing also contribute nitrogen to streamsthrough body contact, discarding of foodwaste and fish cleaning.

What data does a Waterwatchvolunteer collect?

Together, these parameters give us a good picture of the physical, chemical and biological condition of your creek.