ACT Water Quality Report 1997-98 Environment ACT i ACT Water Quality Report 1997 - 98 Further Information: Raw data for all of the sites reported are available on the Internet under the ACT Government web site at www.act.gov.au/Water_Quality/start.cfm Should you wish to seek further information in relation to this report, please contact: Greg Keen Water Unit Environment ACT Telephone: 6207 2350 Facsimile: 6207 6084 E-mail: [email protected] ii Environment ACT ACT Water Quality Report 1997-98 Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................iv Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................2 Purpose .......................................................................................................................................................2 Scope ...........................................................................................................................................................2 Landuse.......................................................................................................................................................2 Climate........................................................................................................................................................4 Rivers of the ACT and Region..................................................................................................................5 ACT Government responsibilities in relation to water quality..............................................................6 The Territory Plan and Water Quality Standards...................................................................................6 Protection of Water Quality ...................................................................................................................7 Monitoring program..................................................................................................................................7 Lakes......................................................................................................................................................8 Rivers .....................................................................................................................................................8 Sampling Sites ............................................................................................................................................9 Water Quality Condition ...............................................................................................................10 Analysis.....................................................................................................................................................10 Indicators..................................................................................................................................................10 Nutrients...............................................................................................................................................10 Suspended solids..................................................................................................................................11 Faecal Coliforms ..................................................................................................................................14 Turbidity ..............................................................................................................................................14 pH (Acidity and Alkalinity)..................................................................................................................15 Ammonia..............................................................................................................................................15 Dissolved Oxygen ................................................................................................................................15 Chlorophyll ‘a’.....................................................................................................................................16 Lakes.........................................................................................................................................................20 Lake Tuggeranong................................................................................................................................20 Point Hut Pond.....................................................................................................................................20 Gungahlin Pond....................................................................................................................................21 Lake Ginninderra .................................................................................................................................22 Rivers ........................................................................................................................................................23 Ginninderra Creek................................................................................................................................23 Paddys River ........................................................................................................................................23 Gudgenby River ...................................................................................................................................23 Murrumbidgee River............................................................................................................................24 Molonglo River ....................................................................................................................................25 Special Studies...............................................................................................................................26 Event Sampling ........................................................................................................................................26 Waterwatch ..............................................................................................................................................28 ACT AusRivAS Report ...........................................................................................................................28 Stranger Creek catchment pollutant exports & interception...............................................................32 Appendix 1 - Charts illustrating river flow in three climatic regions .........................................33 Appendix 2 - AusRivAS monitoring results...................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Appendix 3 - Results from all sampling sites ...............................................................................36 Environment ACT iii ACT Water Quality Report 1997 - 98 List of Figures Figure 1: Land Use map ........................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2: Rainfall in Belconnen near Barton Highway............................................................ 4 Figure 3: Flow in the Murrumbidgee River near Angle Crossing............................................ 5 Figure 4: Flow in Ginninderra Creek near Charnwood Road ................................................. 5 Figure 5: Total phosphorus and suspended solids map.......................................................... 12 Figure 6: Total nitrogen map.................................................................................................. 13 Figure 7: Faecal coliforms and turbidity map........................................................................ 17 Figure 8: pH and ammonia map............................................................................................. 18 Figure 9: DO and chlorophyll 'a' map.................................................................................... 19 Figure 10: Total Phosphorus and Turbidity in Point Hut Pond............................................. 21 Figure 11: Suspended Solids and Turbidity in Gungahlin Pond ............................................ 22 Figure 12: Suspended Solids concentrations in Lake Ginninderra ........................................ 22 Figure 13: Total Nitrogen in the Murrumbidgee River .......................................................... 25 Figure 14: Autumn 1997 sampling sites ................................................................................. 30 Figure 15: Spring 1997 sampling sites ................................................................................... 31 List of Tables Table 1: Water Quality Standards ............................................................................................ 6 Table 2: Lake sampling occasions ............................................................................................ 8 Table 3: Flow percentiles for river sampling............................................................................ 8 Table 4: Pollutant export from urban catchments (kg/km2)...................................................