Lake Eyre Basin Rivers Assessment Implementation Plan Project: Milestone 3 Report Governance arrangements for the lebra

Water quality indicator

Acknowledgements:

Bill Reurich, QLD Department of Environment and Resource Management

Peter Old, QLD Department of Environment and Resource Management

Values

• 
  maintenance of healthy aquatic ecosystems
  
• 
  contributes to social, cultural and aesthetic values of channels and waterholes
  
• 
  potential early indicator of anthropogenic disturbance
  
• 
  existence of long-term data sets for trends-based analyses
  

Links with pressures, drivers, risks and management actions

Table 19: Links with pressures, drivers, risks and actions: Water Quality set

Pressure / driver / risk	Potential impacts	Level of risk
Water resource development
water storage and diversion	changes in water quality resulting from alterations in in-stream flows and floodplain inundation and therefore sediment and nutrient loads	Moderate - High
change in depth of alluvial groundwater	alterations to quality of water in refugial waterholes	Moderate
Land use change
shift from grazing to cropping	altered water quality in channels and wetlands as a result of changes in runoff patterns and nutrient and sediment supply	Moderate
overgrazing on floodplain	altered soil structure, nutrient content and vegetation may influence nutrient and sediment loads entering channels and wetlands	Moderate
Tourism
tourism during dry phase	increased nutrient inputs	Moderate
Other
toxic impacts of stock vaccination via faeces	reductions in water quality	Uncertain at present
feral animals	as for grazing	Uncertain at present
climate change	altered water quality resulting from changed runoff and flow patterns and sediment and nutrient loads	Moderate - High

(Sourced from information in Sheldon et al. 2005)

Alignment with national reporting frameworks

1. FARWH

• 
  Water quality index
  

2. National Framework for Natural Resource Management Standards and Targets

• 
  Water quality (Integrity of inland aquatic ecosystems (rivers and other wetlands): river condition)
  
• 
  Dissolved oxygen and temperature (Wetland ecosystem condition)
  
• 
  Transparency (Wetland ecosystem condition)
  
• 
  Turbidity (Turbidity/suspended particulate matter in aquatic environments)
  
• 
  Electrical conductivity (Surface water salinity in freshwater aquatic environments)
  

Specific indicators

Table 20: Specific indicators for Water Quality set

Indicator	Links to pressures/drivers/risks
conductivity	indictor of salinity elevated salinities may be deleterious to aquatic biota
pH	extreme pH may be deleterious to aquatic biota
dissolved oxygen (diel range)	highly significant for aquatic biota high DO levels during and levels close to zero in the evening may indicate a high pollution load
turbidity	indicator of amount of suspended solids in water influences light penetration and primary production decreases in turbidity may result in increased primary productivity
water temperature (diel range)	highly significant for aquatic biota

(Sourced from information in Sheldon et al. 2006)

Existing monitoring

At present, the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management continuously monitor conductivity and temperature (as well as river height and rainfall) at a single location in the Queensland portion of the Lake Eyre Basin: Thompson River @ Longreach (003202A). A further 11 sites have operational instantaneous river height and rainfall gauges. There is historic water quality data available for 9 of these sites.

In South Australia, water quality is currently assessed by the EPA for 7 sites in the Lake Eyre Basin: Cooper Creek, Warburton Creek, Yardaparinna Creek, Neales River, Margaret Creek, Mount Chambers Creek and Arakola Creek. Water quality parameters, including oxidised nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphours, soluble phosphorus, turbidity and salinity, are measured every 3 months in these remote locations.

Sampling

Sampling methods

The proposed water quality monitoring programme recommended here comprises two components:

1. Water quality should be sampled in conjunction with fish sampling during each survey time. Conductivity, pH and turbidity can be measured in the field using hand-held probes and diel ranges in dissolved oxygen and water temperature can be measured over 24 hours using probes and data loggers.

2. It is also recommended that additional water quality monitoring probes be installed in the Queensland portion of the Lake Eyre Basin to supplement the existing network of gauges and enable the assessment of long-term trends through analyses against historic data. As per the remainder of Queensland’s water quality monitoring network, these should comprise in situ electrical conductivity and temperature probes.

Sampling frequency

Sampling in waterholes should be conducted twice per year in conjunction with fish sampling. Water quality monitoring via in situ probes will occur continuously.

Spatial scale of sampling

The first component of water quality sampling should be conducted at the site or waterbody level in conjunction with fish sampling. Additionally, it is recommended that electrical conductivity and temperature probes be installed in several of the re-opened gauges in Queensland which are currently only recording river heights and rainfall. Of the 11 new sites in the Queensland portion of the LEB, 9 were historically operated as water quality monitoring sites. It has been suggested that it would be appropriate to install water quality probes at around 2 to 3 of these sites initially with preference for sites at the lower end of the catchments, e.g. Nappa Merrie, Diamantina Lakes and Barcoo River at Retreat.

Analysis and reporting

Analysis and reporting of waterhole scale data may be conducted in conjunction with that relating to fish surveys in order to assess possible linkages. Data from any additional water quality monitoring stations in Queensland would be incorporated into the analysis and reporting framework currently implemented in that State. Collation and analysis of water quality data from 1. fish monitoring, 2. Queensland water quality monitoring sites and 3. South Australian water quality monitoring sites would require collation and analysis at a catchment and basin scale within the reporting timeframe of the LEBRA, i.e. once every 10 years.

Costs

Costs of sampling in waterholes should be minimal as measurements can be taken in conjunction with fish sampling. Equipment, e.g. probes and data loggers, may present an initial expense depending on the access of these to fish sampling project teams. There may be an additional cost for data analysis and reporting beyond the scope of the fish monitoring programme. An estimate of costs associated with the installation and maintenance of additional water quality probes in Queensland, based on advice provided by staff members of QLD Department of Environment and Resource Management, is provided below.

Table 21: Costs for Water Quality set

Item	Estimated cost	Total	Frequency	Annual Total
Installation of probes (3)
Equipment	$15,000 per probe	$45,000 (3 new probes)	once at beginning of monitoring programme	$45,000
Staff (3 people required)	$500 p.p. per day (salary and travel expenses)	$13,500 (3 days per probe including travel)	once at beginning of monitoring programme	$13,500
Total Installation costs		$58,500		$58,500
Maintenance and calibration
Staff and travel	$1,000 per day ($500 p.p. per day x 2 field staff x 1 probe per day)	$3,000	annually	$3,000
Equipment	$1,000 per probe	$3,000	annually	$63,000
Total Maintenance costs		$6,000 per year		$6,000 per year
TOTAL				$6,000 per year (+$58,500 initially)