| Key indicators |
Indicator compliance |
% compliance |
|
|
22 |
|
|
99 |
|
|
53 |
|
|
51 |
|
|
65 |
| ■ <0.5 × water quality objective |
| ■ 0.5-1.0 × water quality objective |
| ■ 1.0-1.5 × water quality objective |
| ■ ≥1.5 × water quality objective |
|
The Currumbin estuary received a “B-” in the
2009 Report Card, a slight drop in ecosystem health from the previous
years’ “B”. This decline in grade was caused by the deterioration in a
number of EHI indicators including increases in nutrient concentrations
and phytoplankton abundance. These were partially offset by a small
improvement in turbidity during this reporting period.
Year-to-year variations in water quality in
systems like Currumbin, which do not receive large point sources of
nutrients, often correspond with rainfall events. High rainfall
episodes did occur in 2008/09 and along with land clearing in the upper
reaches of the estuary could have been expected to be reflected in
reduced water clarity. However, this was not the case and median
turbidity concentrations improved slightly from the previous year to be
essentially compliant (99%) with QWQ guidelines for 2008/2009. The BHR
did decline slightly because sewage nitrogen levels were slightly
elevated from the previous reporting period.
Overall, only 33% of the Currumbin estuary
contains unmodified habitat with the majority of the riparian habitat in
the system converted to canal developments and urbanised areas.
Abbreviations glossary |
Indicators and methods
|
