The Deep Creek

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Introduction

The Deep Creek is a small fresh stream which flows into the Southern Ocean through a conservation park. The stream flows through a forested area before reaching the park. The site is surrounded by native vegetation, although there is forestry and grazing in the catchment. Elevated turbidity and nutrient levels are the most likely water quality problems. >> Map (318KB PDF)

Water quality assessment

Water quality is assessed as being in good, moderate or poor condition by interpreting ecological health and water chemistry data in the context of protecting environmental values. >> More

Ecological health is assessed in spring and autumn. We use macroinvertebrates for this purpose because they provide a relatively simple way to assess the health of an aquatic ecosystem. >> More

Water chemistry is measured each month. We measure chemical indicators because when they reach a certain level they can cause stress or toxicity to animals and plants in an ecosystem. Some indicators can also indicate if the water is suitable for drinking water or for activities such as swimming. >> More

Ecological health

We collect two samples of macroinvertebrates, one from riffle (or flowing water) habitat and one from edge (still water) habitat. The diversity of the macroinvertebrate community is used to describe ecological health as being in good, moderate or poor condition.

Go here to find out how we classify ecological health in streams.

Ecological health assessment for June 2006

Habitat	Ecological health
Edge	Good
Riffle	Good

The good ratings for The Deep Creek in autumn 2006 are similar to previous results for this site and consistent for a stream that lies in a National Park. Note that this creek can, however, still be impacted by land-use impacts because approximately half the catchment upstream from the site is in the park and the rest consists of tree plantations and agricultural lands with cropping and grazing.

The edge habitat was biodiverse with 47 different types of macroinvertebrates present in autumn 2006. The most common forms included oligochaete worms, hydrobiid snails, marsh beetles from the family Scirtidae and amphipods (Austrochiltonia australis).

The riffle was also comprised of a rich assemblage of 50 different macroinvertebrates, the most common being hydrobiid snails, oligochaete worms and Austrochiltonia australis.

The site included many macroinvertebrates that are rare or only found at high quality sites in the State. Some examples include numerous caddisflies (e.g. Orthotrichia bishopi, Maydenoptila rupina, Hydroptila scamandra, Lingora aurata, Taschorema evansi), stoneflies (Austrocerca tasmanica, Illiesoperla mayii, Dinotoperla evansi), chironomid larvae from the genus Stempellina and neuropteran larvae from the family Osmylidae.

The site is impacted by the presence of an introduced hydrobiid snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) and brown trout were also noted in June 2006. Limiting the spread of these and other introduced species in the catchment would assist in maintaining the high environmental value of this stream, along with measures to protect stream flow and water quality.

Download ecological health data

• All the macroinvertebrate data for The Deep Creek

Water chemistry

The indicators that are measured in The Deep Creek are nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), turbidity and salinity. The concentrations of these indicators are used to classify the water chemistry as being in good, moderate or poor condition, according to the needs of aquatic ecosystem protection.

Go here to find out how we organise and classify the chemistry data.

Water chemistry classification for April to September 2006

Indicator	Classification
Oxidised Nitrogen	Moderate
Total Nitrogen	Poor
Soluble Phosphorus	Good
Total Phosphorus	Good
Turbidity	Good

The nutrients and turbidity levels at this site tend to vary without a clear seasonal pattern. The total nitrogen is often elevated, although this is probably related to suspended sediments because the soluble oxidised nitrogen is usually quite low. The turbidity is usually considered to be good, although it has been higher than expected for a creek flowing through a conservation park. This may partly be explained by the elevated dissolved organic carbon that can affect turbidity measurements (refer to the chemistry data for download). Further investigation is required to help explain the results.

>> Archived results

Download water chemistry graphs

• Oxidised nitrogen in The Deep Creek
  
• Total nitrogen in The Deep Creek
  
• Total phosphorus in The Deep Creek
  
• Soluble phosphorus in The Deep Creek
  
• Turbidity in The Deep Creek
  
• Salinity in The Deep Creek

Download raw chemistry data

• All chemistry data for The Deep Creek

What is being done to improve the condition of South Australian rivers and streams

Efforts to improve the condition of South Australia's rivers and streams are being driven by various government agencies, primarily

The Environment Protection Authority
The Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation
Natural Resource Management Boards
Department for Environment and Heritage (SA)

Collaborative projects and programs being run by these agencies are based on the protection of environmental values, as explained in the National Water Quality Management Strategy. >> More

This page was last modified 25-09-2007