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Water Quality Snapshot 2001–2002 Historical Baseline Data for the Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed

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Water Quality Snapshot 2001–2002 Historical Baseline Data for the Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY Water Quality Snapshot 2001–2002 Historical baseline data for the Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed February 2007 Water Quality Snapshot 2001−2002 Historic baseline data for the Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed Water Quality Snapshot 2001−2002 Historic baseline data for the Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed Authors: Jane Bradley, Brian Holmes and Shaun Thomas Acknowledgments: Karla Billington, Steven Kotz and staff members from EPA’s Watershed Protection Office For further information please contact: Information Officer Environment Protection Authority GPO Box 2607 Adelaide SA 5001 Telephone: (08) 8204 2004 Facsimile: (08) 8124 4670 Free call (country): 1800 623 445 Web site: <www.epa.sa.gov.au> E-mail: <[email protected]> ISBN 1 921125 30 6 February 2007 © Environment Protection Authority This document may be reproduced in whole or part for the purpose of study or training, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source and to its not being used for commercial purposes or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than those given above requires the prior written permission of the Environment Protection Authority. Printed on recycled paper CONTENTS SUMMARY................................................................................................. 1 1 BACKGROUND ...................................................................................... 3 Report format ...................................................................................... 4 2 METHOD ............................................................................................. 5 Sampling strategy ................................................................................. 5 Analytes of importance .......................................................................... 5 Water quality data analysis..................................................................... 6 Classification of data............................................................................. 7 Data constraints ..................................................................................10 Land use and the potential threat it poses to the water supply.....................10 3 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS ......................................................................12 Water quality analytes..........................................................................12 Data patterns......................................................................................18 4 NORTHERN ADELAIDE AND BAROSSA CATCHMENT ...................................19 Catchment characteristics .....................................................................19 Land use characteristics........................................................................20 Overview of water quality results for 2001 and 2002...................................21 Overview of sub-catchment issues...........................................................23 5 TORRENS CATCHMENT ........................................................................30 Catchment characteristics .....................................................................30 Land use characteristics........................................................................30 Overview of water quality results for 2001 and 2002...................................31 Overview of sub-catchment issues...........................................................33 6 ONKAPARINGA CATCHMENT .................................................................43 Catchment characteristics .....................................................................43 Land use characteristics........................................................................43 Overview of water quality results for 2001 and 2002...................................44 Overview of sub-catchment issues...........................................................46 7 MYPONGA RIVER CATCHMENT ...............................................................58 Catchment characteristics .....................................................................58 Land use characteristics........................................................................58 Overview of water quality results for 2001 and 2002...................................59 Overview of sub-catchment issues...........................................................60 8 CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................64 Assessment of risk................................................................................64 Exceedence of threshold and regulatory water quality values.......................64 1 9 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................67 10 REFERENCES.......................................................................................68 APPENDIX 1 LAND USE CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES .................................71 APPENDIX 2 CLASSIFIED WATER QUALITY DATA ........................................72 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Analytes considered critical to water treatment and catchment management .. 6 Figure 2 Sub-catchment categories across the watershed...................................... 9 Figure 3 Turbidity results for the watershed during 2001 and 2002 ..........................12 Figure 5 Colour results for the watershed during 2001 and 2002 .............................13 Figure 6 E. coli results for the watershed during 2001 and 2002 .............................13 Figure 7 Enterococcus results for the watershed during 2001 and 2002 .....................14 Figure 8 Filtered reactive phosphorous results for the watershed during 2001 and 2002..............................................................................15 Figure 9 Nitrate and nitrite (as N) results for the watershed during 2001 and 2002 ......15 Figure 10 Total organic carbon results for the watershed during 2001 and 2002 ...........16 Figure 11 Total phosphorous results for the watershed during 2001 and 2002 ..............17 Figure 12 Soluble aluminium results for the watershed during 2001 and 2002 ..............17 Figure 13 Total dissolved solids results for the watershed during 2001 and 2002...........18 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Raw water hazard threshold values ...................................................... 7 Table 2 Summary of sub-catchment categories for the watershed ........................... 8 Table 3 Land use types and associated pollutants ..............................................11 Table 4 Land use percentages for the NAB catchment.........................................21 Table 5 Water quality results for the NAB catchment .........................................22 Table 6 Land use percentages for the Torrens catchment ....................................31 Table 7 Water quality results for the Torrens catchment .....................................32 Table 8 Land use percentages for the Onkaparinga catchment ..............................44 Table 9 Water quality results for the Onkaparinga catchment ...............................45 Table 10 Land use percentages for the Myponga catchment ...................................59 Table 11 Water quality results for the Myponga catchment ....................................60 Table 12 Recommendations to improve water quality in the MLR watershed ...............66 SUMMARY The Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed is a significant source of drinking water for Adelaide. It is also an important area for broadscale and intensive agriculture, urban and rural living, and industry, with close proximity to Adelaide. The strategic objective of the Environment Protection Authority’s Watershed Protection Office (EPA WPO) is to ‘protect and improve the water resources in the Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed’ (EPA 2003b). In order to assess the degree of progress made in achieving this aim it was determined that an assessment of the state of water resources in the watershed was necessary. Such an assessment would enable, where possible, the identification of impacts on the water resource and assist with setting priorities for water quality improvement programs. Suitable benchmark data was necessary to achieve these outcomes. Gaps in the availability of data were identified and it was considered necessary to undertake sub-catchment scale water quality monitoring. The focus of monitoring was on significant runoff events, in order to establish an understanding of areas contributing elevated levels of pollutants to the raw water supply. The Water Quality Snapshot project was carried out in 2001 and 2002 to collect data on sub-catchment pollutant contributions during significant runoff events in the watershed. This report summarises the data collected for each catchment area with a focus on the specific analytes measured: turbidity, colour, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Escheridia coli (E. coli), Enterococcus, filtered reactive phosphorus (FRP), nitrate and nitrite (as N), total organic carbon, total phosphorus, soluble aluminium, lead and total dissolved solids. The major outcomes from this work are: • priority sub-catchments have been identified in each of the catchment areas (see ‘Classification of data’ for Category A sub-catchments): − Northern Adelaide and Barossa Catchment areas: Forestry Headquarters, Portuguese Creek and Tungali Creek sub-catchments − Torrens Catchment: Angas Creek, Cudlee Creek, Footes Creek, Kenton Valley, McCormick Creek, Mount Pleasant and Torrens Main Channel sub-catchments − Onkaparinga Catchment: Aldgate Creek, Biggs Flat, Cox Creek,
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