Mosaic Map: NRM funded projects
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site specific
region wide
Volunteers monitor water in Northern Tas
Collecting water samples on the Brid River
Measuring temperature and salinity levels of the Great Forester River
Excess water from pumping station returning to water flow
Volunteer water sampling has been formally recognised following Tasmanian locals giving credible, quality-controlled data to the State Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW).
This baseline information - collected by 30 volunteers across 55 different sites - will help track the health of Northern Tasmania's water resources.
The monitoring program was established by the NRM North group in partnership with the Launceston Environment Centre. It covers 17 catchments and adds a further 55 monitoring sites to the 40 locations DPIW monitors.
Funding
The program has been funded with around $244,000 from the Australian Government as well as with additional support from the Tasmanian Government.
Activities and achievements
"When I talk to people around the country they say that it's amazing to have this kind of recognition from a state authority," said Program leader Debbie Searle.
"We've been using quality control and assurance guidelines, and send data off every six months."
Volunteers survey water quality monthly and river health in spring and autumn and also assess erosion, riparian plants and weeds. Water quality tests incorporate salinity (through electrical conductivity), temperature and sediment (turbidity).
DPIW will store the information and make it publicly available through its website. The Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery will be the official repository for more than 3,000 aquatic insect samples collected as part of the baseline condition monitoring.
"Now that we've developed our first region-wide snapshot, overall our waterways appear to be in fairly good condition. However, there are some very healthy rivers and some that are not," Debbie said.
"The Boobyalla catchment in the North East is a pleasure to monitor because of it's 'A rating', reflecting its high degree of naturalness and lack of disturbance. We discovered a diverse population of aquatic macroinvertebrates such as caddisfly larvae and the catchment is also home to the threatened Green and Gold Frog.
"At the other end of the scale the Kings Meadows Rivulet in Launceston and the Quamby Brook in Meander Valley only managed a C, indicating severe disturbance. However, Quamby Brook has shown improvement since the 1996 State of the Rivers report gave it the lowest score of any Meander watercourse in most categories.
"Now the region has its first water quality snapshot, the next step is to continue monitoring over time to find out where our rivers are improving or declining in condition."
More information
- Debbie Searle, Program Leader: 0429 318 554 or dsearle@dorset.tas.gov.au
See also
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