Collection methods
Water quality data is collected in 3 ways:
1. via spot measurement in the field when sites are visited
2. through continuous measurements (where data is collected every 15 minutes)
3. via water samples that are collected and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
Continuous monitoring
Surface water quality that is measured continuously in the field includes:
- chlorophyll-a
- dissolved oxygen (DO)
- pH
- salinity as electrical conductivity (EC)
- turbidity
- water temperature
Groundwater quality that is measured continuously in the field includes:
- salinity as electrical conductivity (EC)
- water temperature
Spot measurements
Some site visits conduct spot measurements using a hand-held device.
Surface water quality measured by spot measurement in the field includes:
- colour (true filtered)
- dissolved oxygen (DO)
- salinity as electrical conductivity
- pH
- oxygen reduction potential
- turbidity
- water temperature
Groundwater quality measured by spot measurement in the field includes:
- DO
- EC
- EC @25 degrees Celsius
- pH
- oxygen reduction potential
- water temperature
Samples collected for lab analysis
While in the field, samples are collected and returned to the lab for analysis. This data is collected monthly for surface water and occasionally for groundwater.
There are standard suites tested (groups of parameters) tested.
Biological
- chlorophyll-a
- E.coli
- faecal coliform
- phaeophytin
- total coliforms
Cations/anions
- total cations
- total anions
- ionic balance
- alkalinity (total alkalinity; hydroxide alkalinity as hydroxide; carbonate alkalinity; bicarbonate alkalinity, alkalinity as hardness)
- boron
- bromide
- calcium
- chloride
- fluoride
- iodide
- potassium
- selenium
- silica
- sodium
- sulphates
Nutrients
- nitrogen (ammonia, nitrate + nitrite, total nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, oxidised nitrogen; nitrogen oxides)
- phosphorus (total phosphorus; filterable reactive phosphorus, total reactive phosphorus)
Organic load
- biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
- chemical oxygen demand (COD)
- dissolved organic carbon (DOC)
- total organic carbon (TOC)
Radio isotopes
- carbon 13
- chlorine 36
Solutes
- total dissolved solids (TDS)
- total suspended solids (TSS)
Metals, contaminants and pollutants in surface and groundwater
Metals analysis is conducted at a lab and includes:
- aluminium
- antimony
- arsenic
- barium
- cadmium
- chromium
- cobalt
- copper
- cyanide
- iron
- lead
- lithium
- magnesium
- manganese
- mercury
- molybdenum
- nickel
- silver
- strontium
- tin
- zinc
Historically contaminant analysis has been conducted in groundwater. This has included lab analysis for:
- hydrocarbons
- organochlorides
- aromatic organic compounds
- organophosphate insecticides
- solvents
Reviewed 11 June 2024