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Here are the Water Quality Monitoring (WQM), Chemical Analyses and Macroinvertebrate sampling results for the month of July, 2022.
In reading through the results there are some explanatory notes as follows:
Generally speaking the results for WQM are sound although there has been some higher readings around Phosphates principally due to the water flow slowing and any input of chemicals stays in the river longer; any runoff from agriculture will now show more clearly
I have used up the last of the Iron reagents and will not be replacing them; originally the Iron tests were introduced as a results of a Ferruginous Cyanotoxic Bloom in Yaun Creek. That has not recurred and the results of sampling have shown that levels of Iron are quite variable and naturally occurring rather than caused by human interference
The Macroinvertebrate results are quite high (which is pleasing) however there is an explanation for the high Edge SIGNAL Scores: with the waterways running swiftly and at high levels the traditional sampling of the edge of the stream has become an exercise in sampling a riffle which runs almost to the edge of the stream. This means that the slower running water we normally sample has been more of a raging torrent, producing the higher scoring macroinvertebrates which inhabit faster flowing water
When Helen, Ross and myself sampled Waterhen Lake we observed some quite large carp ( 5 on the eastern end feeding in the meniscus) and a lone large tilapia dead on the outflow cage. Some of the carp are of substantial size – at least 70cm from what we could see. It is concerning that CoGC has in the past removed carp from the lake and it now appears that someone is determined to reinstate them
Many thanks to volunteers Helen, Ross and Brian who greatly assist our sampling efforts
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