Sampling sites in the Rushcutters Bay catchment.
Environmental monitoring in Woollahra
Woollahra Municipal Council, in Sydney’s east, looks after several of Sydney’s most famous suburbs and beaches. Taking seriously its responsibility to care for the environment and the waters of Sydney Harbour, Council introduced an environmental levy in 2002, through which it has been able to fund a range of environmental projects. One such project is the creation of an environmental monitoring database, in which Council is gathering information on water, biodiversity, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, coastline, land and heritage. By monitoring environmental indicators within each of these areas, Council will be able to measure its performance in environmental management and identify where improvements can be made.
Last month, Council invited SESL to begin monitoring four catchments in its area (Rushcutters Bay, Double Bay, Rose Bay and Watsons Bay). The monitoring program will be used as a baseline study to determine existing stormwater quality and to act as a benchmark to assess the effectiveness of future stormwater management strategies. The data that SESL collects will be added to the database.
The monitoring program will run for 12 months, with testing twice per season (winter, spring, summer, autumn): once in dry weather and once in wet weather. Samples will be collected at the top, middle and bottom of each catchment, as shown in the image above. Sites include open creeks and drains. Data will cover pH, electrical conductivity, nitrogen, phosphorus, turbidity, chlorophyll, metals, biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids and various organic compounds.
SESL will compare the results against the ANZECC Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality to determine a yearly water quality profile.
We’ll let you know how it all goes in a year.
Further reading
Woollahra Municipal Council: Environmental Monitoring