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Where are Adelaide's coastal waters?
The Adelaide coastal waters include the Port waterways and metropolitan beaches both of which are regularly monitored by the EPA'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.
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 20 km offshore.
Discharges into the Adelaide coastal waters from wastewater 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 5,000 hectares of seagrass. The technical reports are now available.
Implementation of some of the recommendations from the ACWS is covered under the Adelaide Coastal Water Quality Improvement Plan (ACWQIP), an initiative led by the EPA with funding support from the Australian Government. The ACWQIP includes the targets set for the Port waterways in the Port River Water Quality Improvement Plan and Appendices.
The ACWQIP was out for public comment from September to 18 November 2011, and will be finalised later in 2011.
Water quality monitoring
The EPA's Water Quality Monitoring Program involves monitoring water quality in the Port waterways and along metropolitan beaches.
Reports
- Adelaide Coastal Water Quality Improvement Plan (ACWQIP)
- Final reports and technical reports on the findings of the Adelaide Coastal Waters Study.
- Gulf St Vincent metropolitan bathing waters - Report No 1
- Gulf St Vincent metropolitan coastal waters - Report No 2
- Protecting Gulf St Vincent
- Water quality of Adelaide's metropolitan coastal waters - community summary
- Changes in seagrass coverage
- The health of subtidal reefs
- Port River Water Quality Report No. 1
- Port River Water Quality Report No. 2
- Port River Sediment Quality Report
- Port River: heavy metals and PCBs in dolphins, fish and sediment
Adelaide coastal waters information sheets
Following the completion of the ACWS, information sheets on Adelaide’s coastal waters and some of the findings of the study are now available.
The first five Information Sheets in this series are:
- Importance of seagrass
- Seagrass health
- Changes in urban environments
- Physical processes
- Inputs to coastal waters
- What can households do?
- Strategies for water quality improvement for Adelaide's coastal waters
- Community vision and environmental values for Adelaide's coastal waters.
Links
- Adelaide Coastal Waters Study
- CSIRO www.csiro.gov.au
- Coast & Marine Branch of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources www.environment.sa.gov.au/Conservation/Coastal_Marine
- 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
- WSUD Technical Manual for Greater Adelaide www.planning.sa.gov.au/go/wsud
Last modified: 20/12/2011 02:09 pm
