2014 Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program Interpretive Report Volume 3 Data Report 2014 Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program | Volume 3 Data Report Foreword This report forms Volume 3 (of four) for the 2014 Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program (STSIMP). The 2013-14 data report provides an integrated summary of monitoring data collected under the program in 2013-14 and presents generalised year to year trends and exceptions. 2014 Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program | Volume 3 Data Report Page | 1 Table of contents 1 Data report ............................................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Monitoring program ............................................................................................................................. 9 1.3 Approach and methodology ............................................................................................................. 14 1.3.1 Data collation ............................................................................................................................... 14 1.3.2 Data analysis methods ................................................................................................................ 14 1.3.3 Useful definitions ......................................................................................................................... 18 1.4 Results ................................................................................................................................................ 19 1.4.1 Treated wastewater discharges: Ocean plants ........................................................................... 19 1.4.2 Treated wastewater discharges: Inland plants ............................................................................ 24 1.4.3 Ocean environment ..................................................................................................................... 30 1.4.4 Coastal environment .................................................................................................................... 34 1.4.5 Hawkesbury Nepean River .......................................................................................................... 45 1.4.6 Wastewater overflows .................................................................................................................. 55 1.4.7 Recycled water ............................................................................................................................ 63 2 Testing of Shellharbour rocky intertidal assemblages ....................................................... 66 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 66 2.2 2013 analyses ..................................................................................................................................... 67 2.3 2008 to 2011 and 2013 analyses ....................................................................................................... 69 2.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 75 3 Ecosystem health: Intertidal communities .......................................................................... 76 3.1 Surveys of rocky-intertidal communities ........................................................................................ 76 3.2 Settlement Panels .............................................................................................................................. 80 4 Freshwater macroinvertebrates ........................................................................................... 84 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 84 4.2 Graphical assessment ....................................................................................................................... 87 4.3 Univariate tests of upstream and downstream site pairs .............................................................. 87 4.4 Multivariate tests of upstream and downstream site pairs ........................................................... 87 4.5 Results of univariate tests of upstream and downstream site pairs ........................................... 89 4.6 Results of ecological control chart graphical assessment ........................................................... 90 4.7 Results of multivariate tests of upstream and downstream site pairs ........................................ 99 4.7.1 Hawkesbury Nepean River at West Camden .............................................................................. 99 4.7.2 Matahill Creek at West Camden ................................................................................................ 100 4.7.3 Hawkesbury Nepean River at Winmalee ................................................................................... 102 4.7.4 Unnamed creek at Winmalee .................................................................................................... 106 4.7.5 Calna Creek at Hornsby Heights ............................................................................................... 109 5 References ........................................................................................................................... 112 6 Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 116 6.1 Appendix A Data analysis methods .............................................................................................. 116 6.2 Appendix B Summary of wastewater and recycled water data ................................................. 119 2014 Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program | Volume 3 Data Report Page | 2 6.3 Appendix C Beach Suitability Grades .......................................................................................... 150 6.4 Appendix D SIMPER 2008 to 2013 - intertidal assemblages ...................................................... 155 6.5 Appendix E PERMDISP 2008 to 2011 and 2013 – factor ‘Site-Time’ .......................................... 160 6.6 Appendix F Summary of ocean receiving water data 2013-14 ................................................... 163 6.7 Appendix G Summary of estuarine and lagoon water quality data ........................................... 166 6.8 Appendix H Summary of Hawkesbury Nepean River data ......................................................... 172 6.9 Appendix I Summary of wastewater overflows data ................................................................... 190 6.10 Appendix J Summary of dry weather leakage detection program data .................................... 194 Figures Figure 1-1 Wastewater systems showing location of plants ...................................................................... 10 Figure 1-2 Wastewater inflows and discharge volumes for the previous ten years from all ocean plants and rainfall in the ocean catchments ............................................................................. 21 Figure 1-3 Previous ten years of oil and grease loads from all ocean plants ............................................ 22 Figure 1-4 Previous ten years of total suspended solids loads from all ocean plants ............................... 23 Figure 1-5 Previous ten years of wastewater inflow and discharge volumes from all inland plants and rainfall in the inland catchments........................................................................................ 26 Figure 1-6 Previous ten years of total nitrogen loads from all inland plants .............................................. 27 Figure 1-7 Previous ten years of total phosphorus loads from all inland plants ........................................ 27 Figure 1-8 Shellharbour ecosystem health ratings .................................................................................... 30 Figure 1-9 Beach Suitability Grades of Sydney beaches 2013-14 ............................................................ 32 Figure 1-10 Beach Suitability Grades of Illawarra beaches 2013-14 ........................................................... 33 Figure 1-11 Water quality ratings as determined by chlorophyll a at urban rivers and estuarine monitoring sites ........................................................................................................................ 35 Figure 1-12 Water quality ratings as determined by chlorophyll a at lagoons ............................................. 37 Figure 1-13 Beach Suitability Grades for Pittwater ...................................................................................... 39 Figure 1-14 Beach Suitability Grades for Sydney Harbour .......................................................................... 40 Figure 1-15 Beach Suitability Grades for Botany Bay and Port Hacking ..................................................... 41 Figure 1-16 Stream health of Lane Cove and Parramatta rivers in comparison to reference site (N451, Lynch’s Creek, tributary of Hawkesbury Nepean River; PH22 at McKell Avenue, Hacking River) .........................................................................................................................