EcoH plots

Spring 2008	Autumn 2009

Previous Year Spring 2007 Autumn 2008

Change over time

Legend
		Fish indicator
		Physical/Chemical indicator
		Nutrient Cycling indicator
		Ecosystem Processes indicator
		Invertebrates indicator

A description of the indicators and methods used can be downloaded as a PDF file.

Indices

Legend

The charts show the distribution of the site scores for the catchment in a box and whisker plot. The image to the right shows the meaning of the different elements in the chart.

The number behind the charts is the number of sites with valid data. It can be less than the total number of sites in the catchment if some data could not be collected.

A description of the indicators and methods used can be downloaded as a PDF file.

Summary

Three sites were assessed in the Pimpama/Coomera reporting area, which was awarded a 2009 Report Card grade of ‘B+’, higher than its 2008 grade of ‘B‑’. Streams were generally in very good condition and improvements in both the Ecosystem Processes and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate indicators resulted in the increase in grade.

The three highest scoring indices for the Pimpama/Coomera reporting area during 2008‑09 were pH (Annual Reporting Area Index Score = 1.00), DO (1.00) and Proportion Alien (0.99). The three lowest scoring indices for the area were δ¹³C (0.65), δ¹⁵N (0.72) and O/E₅₀ (0.76).

The assessment site yielding the highest annual score (indicating the best ecological condition) during 2008‑09 was one on Back Creek (site 146‑0001) with an excellent score of 0.94. The assessment site yielding the lowest annual score (indicating the worst ecological condition) during 2008‑09 was one on Pimpama River (site 146‑0016), albeit with a very good score of 0.84. This site is located within a forested area, but downstream of a quarry.

Abbreviations glossary

Site scores

The scores range from 0.0 (worst) to 1.0 (best). A dash ('-') indicates that sufficient data was not available.

Flowchart for calculation of summary statistics based on site scores

Map

Click to open PDF version of the map.

Facts

Pimpama Catchment

• Total area: 171km²
• Stream network length: 389km
• Local Councils: Gold Coast City Council 
• Dominant land uses: native bush, urban, grazing, intensive agriculture
• Dominated by intensive agriculture along the middle reaches
• Urban development, including canal estates, expanding throughout the lower catchment

Coomera Catchment

• Total area: 489km²
• Stream network length: 928km
• Local Councils: Beaudesert (pop. 62,441), Gold Coast (pop. 472,279)
• Dominant land uses: native bush, rural residential, grazing, urban
• Headwaters rise in Lamington National Park and remain largely intact
• Mid reaches flow through rural areas
• Urban development, including canal estates, expanding throughout the lower catchment, with the possibility of disturbance to acid sulphate soils

Fish

Fish species identified in Pimpama/Coomera streams