Scott Creek

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Introduction

Scott Creek is a fresh to brackish tributary of the Onkaparinga River in the middle reaches of the catchment. Scott Creek has a small catchment area of approximately 26 km². Grazing, pasture and patches of native vegetation can be found throughout the catchment.

The site at Scott Bottom is characterised by a deep channel which has been scoured out due to the many willows along the lower section of the catchment. Stream flow for this site is available from the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation. >> Map (2MB 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 using the AUSRIVAS model. 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 July 2006

Habitat	Ecological health
Edge	Good
Riffle	Habitat not present

Since monitoring began in 1994, the edge habitat has been consistently rated in good condition. A riffle habitat is usually available as water flows over willow roots that are common in the lower section of this creek However a riffle was not present on this occasion or in 2005 due to relatively low flows. When it is present, the riffle is often rated in good condition.

A total of 75 different macroinvertebrates were collected from the site in autumn 2006, which is a very high species richness for any stream in the State. The most common edge habitat species were the amphipod crustacean Austrochiltonia australis, chironomid midge larvae Tanytarsus species, mayfly Tasmanocoenis tillyardi and gripopterygid stoneflies.

The most notable rare macroinvertebrates at the site included crustaceans from the family Perthiidae and the synthemistid dragonfly Archaeosynthemis macrostigma. Despite the presence of dense stands of willows along the creek, a high diversity of rare and common macroinvertebrate species inhabit this densely shaded stream.

Download ecological health data

• Macroinvertebrate summary for Scott Creek
  
• All the macroinvertebrate data for Scott Creek

Water chemistry

The indicators that are measured in Scott 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	Good
Total Nitrogen	Good
Soluble Phosphorus	Good
Total Phosphorus	Good
Turbidity	Good

These classifications are consistent with previous results. The Scott Creek catchment is in relatively good condition, although there are numerous willows along the banks of the creek. There are projects and programs being run which are designed to maintain and improve water quality in Scott Creek. These are being coordinated through the EPA's Watershed Protection Office and the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board.

>> Archived results

Download water chemistry graphs

• Oxidised nitrogen in Scott Creek
  
• Total nitrogen in Scott Creek
  
• Total phosphorus in Scott Creek
  
• Soluble phosphorus in Scott Creek
  
• Turbidity in Scott Creek
  
• Salinity in Scott Creek

Download raw chemistry data

• All chemistry data for Scott 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

Reports

SA's Rivers and Streams (Chemical and Physical Quality)-Report No 1 (554KB)

This page was last modified 25-09-2007