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| Study focus
area [photo: DEH] |
Where are the Adelaide Coastal Waters?
The Adelaide Coastal Waters extend from Port Gawler in the north
to Sellicks Beach in the south, within Gulf St Vincent. They include
the waters approximately 20km offshore.
The Adelaide coastal waters include the Port
Waterways and Metropolitan Beaches
both of which are regularly monitored by the Environment Protection
Authority's Water Quality Monitoring Program. The waters of Gulf
St Vincent include areas of seagrass
and reef environments supporting
important feeding grounds and nurseries for fish, crustaceans,
molluscs and marine mammals. Maintaining good water quality is
essential for the maintenance of these marine habitats and important
for industry and the recreational uses of Adelaide's coastal waters
and metropolitan beaches.
What are the problems facing the Adelaide Coastal Waters?
Pollution in coastal waters may put recreational users at risk,
particularly swimmers. This could result in beach closures for
public safety. However, pollution of coastal waters more commonly
reduces the attractiveness of the water, can cause algal blooms
and fish kills and has been found by the Adelaide
Coastal Waters Study (ACWS) to contribute to the loss of seagrass.
Discharges into the Adelaide coastal waters from waste water
treatment plants, industry and stormwater outlets are high in
nutrients and suspended solids. Excess nutrients cause algal blooms
and epiphyte growth on seagrass leading to loss of seagrass. Discharges
of high levels of suspended solids into the Adelaide coastal waters
increase turbidity levels contributing to poor recreational water
quality and may result in beach closures.
What is being done to improve water quality in the Adelaide Coastal
Waters?
The EPA established the Adelaide Coastal
Waters Study (ACWS) in 2001 in response to concerns about
the decline in coastal water quality and loss of more than 5000
hectares of seagrass. The work on the ACWS has been finalised
and the technical reports are now available on the ACWS
web pages.
Implementation of some of the recommendations
from the ACWS will come under the Adelaide Coastal Water Quality
Improvement Plan (ACWQIP) - an initiative led by the SA EPA with
funding support from the Australian Government Coastal Catchment
Initiative - being developed in 2008. The ACWQIP will include
the targets set for the Port Waterways
in the Port River Water Quality Improvement Plan (972KB) and Appendices (888KB).
Water quality monitoring
The EPA's Water Quality Monitoring Program involves monitoring
water quality in the Port Waterways
and along Metropolitan Beaches.
Reports
Final reports and technical reports on the findings
of the Adelaide Coastal Waters Study.
Gulf St Vincent Metropolitan
Bathing Waters - Report No 1 (493KB)
(1997)
Gulf St Vincent Metropolitan
Coastal Waters - Report No 2 (1.7MB)
(2004)
Water Quality of Adelaide's
Metropolitan Coastal Waters - Community Summary (776KB)
(2004)
Changes in Seagrass Coverage (1.17MB)
(1998)
The Health of Subtidal Reefs
(1.1MB) (2003)
Port River Water Quality Improvement Plan (972KB) and Appendices (888KB).
Port River Water Quality Report
No. 1 (227KB) (1997)
Port River Water Quality Report
No. 2 (2.81 MB) (2002)
Port River Sediment Quality
Report (997KB) (1997)
Port River: heavy metals and PCBs in
dolphins, fish and sediment (1.7MB)
(2000)
Links
Adelaide Coastal Waters Study
CSIRO www.csiro.gov.au
Coast & Marine Branch of the Department for Environment and
Heritage www.environment.sa.gov.au/coasts/index.html
Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management
Board :
www.amlrnrm.sa.gov.au
City of Onkaparinga www.onkaparinga.sa.gov.au
City of Marion www.marion.sa.gov.au
City of Holdfast Bay www.holdfast.sa.gov.au
City of West Torrens www.wtcc.sa.gov.au
City of Charles Sturt www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au
City of Port Adelaide Enfield www.portenf.sa.gov.au
City of Salisbury www.salisbury.sa.gov.au
City of Playford www.playford.sa.gov.au
District Council of Malalla www.mallala.sa.gov.au
This page was last modified 25-06-2008
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