Riparian vegetation comprised mostly native gums over a weedy understorey
Creek lies in a largely cleared catchment used for stock grazing and vines
Area map
About the location
This creek is a small tributary in the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges that rises south-west from Mount Menge in the Barossa Range and flows in a north-westerly direction into Lyndoch Creek and then the North Para River. The monitoring site was located on Tweedies Gully Road, about 3 km south-east from Lyndoch. The major land uses in the 663 hectare catchment are stock grazing and remnant native vegetation, with smaller areas used for cereal cropping, irrigated vines and roads.
The creek was given a Poor rating because the site sampled showed evidence of major changes in ecosystem structure, and moderate changes to the way the ecosystem functions. There was considerable evidence of human disturbance including a degraded riparian zone and significantly altered catchment used for agriculture.
Findings
The 6.5 m wide channel was dry in both autumn and spring 2011. No macroinvertebrate or water quality data was consequently available for this site.
The sediments were dominated by detritus and clay, with sand and silt also present. Samples taken from below the surface were grey in colour and showed no evidence that the sediments were anaerobic or lacked oxygen. No sign of any significant bank erosion was noted during either survey and only a small amount of silt was recorded from the middle of the channel.
About 10% of the site was covered by emergent aquatic plants that included sedges (Cyperus), rushes (Juncus) and dock (Rumex). The riparian zone consisted of River Red Gums and introduced ash trees over introduced grasses and weeds. The surrounding vegetation was cleared grazing land and vineyards, with a few scattered gum trees remaining in the local landscape.
Special environmental features
None detected.
Pressures and management responses
Pressures
Management responses
Large nutrient inputs to the creek from numerous diffuse sources (leading to extensive growth of algae and aquatic weeds)
The Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board’s land management program encourages and promotes managing land to improve water quality. This includes working with industry and landholders to ensure efficient use of fertilisers and discuss ways to reduce runoff of nutrients into waterways.
This aquatic ecosystem condition report is based on monitoring data collected by the EPA. It was prepared with and co-funded by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board
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Observed Condition
Expected Condition
