Water quality and ecological recovery of a mountain stream after 60 years of receiving sewage effluent

I. A. Wright, K. G. Morrison, E. Hurst, M. Ryan

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paperpeer-review

Abstract

![CDATA[In 1980 the sewerage system of the Blue Mountains (NSW) townships was inadequate. It had 12 overloaded sewage treatment plants (STPs) that provided incomplete treatment that caused widespread pollution of its streams. The last major STP discharge to be removed was Blackheath STP. It was permanently closed in June 2008. This study was conducted over 15 years. We used stream macroinvertebrates to measure the ecological changes that resulted following the STP closure. This began when it was still operating in 2003, then 16 months later (2009), and then in 2018, almost 10 years after its closure. This case study was a rare opportunity to study the recovery of a previously chronically impaired freshwater stream by decades of receiving poorly treated sewage wastes. We used a replicated quantitative ‘kick sampling’ technique and identified invertebrates to the family level to measure ecological health recovery of the small headwater stream. We found that the degree of ecological recovery was large but not complete, indicating a possible residual disturbance remaining. We suggest that one of the important factors that has enabled the recovery to date was the clean water quality and environmental condition of Hat Hill Creek upstream of the pollution.]]
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 9th Australian Stream Management Conference, 12-15 August 2018, Hobart, Tasmania
PublisherRiver Basin Management Society
Pages752-761
Number of pages10
ISBN (Print)9780734054555
Publication statusPublished - 2018
EventAustralian Stream Management Conference -
Duration: 12 Aug 2018 → …

Conference

ConferenceAustralian Stream Management Conference
Period12/08/18 → …

Keywords

  • water quality
  • sewage
  • Blue Mountains (N.S.W.)

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