CONISTON BEACH OUTFALL

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Monitoring Results

CEE (199 7)

General findings (not necessarily related to outfalls):

Of local importance was the presence of weedy sea dragons (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) which are listed as a protected species under the NSW Fisheries Management Act 1994.

Methods:

CEE (1997) measured the abundance of rocky reef biota along transects at three reef locations and the fauna living in the sediments at five sand locations near the existing and proposed outfall sites. Two water samples were also collected for phytoplankton analysis. This study was mainly a description of the biota at a number of sites and no control outfall comparisons were undertaken.

AWT (1998)

Found that sewage effluent:

- altered the abundance or percentage cover of a number of intertidal species either positively or negatively from Bellambi and Port Kembla STPs.

- increased the abundance or percent cover of Ulva, red turf algae and the limpets Siphonaria denticulata and S. virgulata and decreased abundance or percent cover of Sargassum spp. and cunjevoi (Pyura stolonifera).

- lowered the species diversity of subtidal rocky reef species at the outfalls when compared to the reference locations.

- increased the percentage cover of red algae and the green alga Caulerpa filiformis around Bellambi outfall.

- lowered the percentage cover of brown algae such as kelp (Ecklonia radiata) at the Port Kembla outfall.

- increased the percentage of ‘Brown Fuzz’ (a mixture of alga, hydrozoa and bacteria that forms a fine tufting cover over the reef) was recorded around Port Kembla outfall (AWT 1998).

- affected the kelp abundance around the outfalls depending on the treatment – Bellambi and Port Kembla outfalls which discharge primary treated effluent had no kelp (E. radiata) in their nearshore environments while kelp occurred within 5 m of the discharge point at Wollongong (secondary treated effluent).

Methods:

AWT (1998) investigated the effects of primary treated sewage effluent on intertidal and subtidal rocky reef communities around Bellambi and Port Kembla ocean outfalls and on the subtidal communities around Wollongong ocean outfall. Intertidal communities around Bellambi and Port Kembla ocean outfalls were sampled four times during 1992-1993 and subtidal communities were sampled at four times between 1992-1994. These sites were sampled again in 1998. Subtidal rocky reef communities were sampled near Wollongong ocean outfall in 1998. A number of control sites were also sampled. Sampling of intertidal communities was undertaken using a 50cm X 50cm quadrat. Sampling of subtidal communities was undertaken using an underwater camera and a 30cm X 40cm quadrat.

Outfall Site

Faecal Coliform

Cunjevoi

Outfall Site

Ulva

Diffuser Head

Coniston Beach

(Coni_7) Last updated May 2000