Yanco Creek Environmental flows monitoring: 2015-16 fish and vegetation surveys (2015-2016)

ILWS Strategic Research Area

Sustainable Water

Funding

NSW Office of Environment & Heritage, $20,000

Investigators/researchers

Dr Skye Wassens & Dr Ben Wolfenden

Description

During 2015-16, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office are delivering environmental water to help maintain and improve water-dependent creek and wetland communities of the Yanco Creek system.

Researchers have received funding from the NSW OEH to monitor ecological outcomes associated with the delivery of environmental water with surveys of two sites to be done depending on the extent of the inundation and site access.

Dry lake part of the Yanco creek system. Pic S. Wassens

Field sampling will be carried over two separate occasions (before and after flow), in conjunction with the Murrumbidgee Long Term Intervention Monitoring project and using that project's survey methods. Accordingly the researchers will be monitoring fish and frog community diversity and relative abundance, and water quality (dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity and temperature).

Outputs

Water managers will be provided with updates at the completion of each field survey with a final project report describing findings and outcomes associated with the use of environmental water to be delivered to NSW OEH.

Outcomes

The information from this fish and vegetation survey will improve our knowledge of aquatic and riverbank vegetation responses to in-channel flows and contribute to more efficient and better targeted used of environmental water. The project will complement the current Murrumbidgee Long Term  Intervention Monitoring project  funded by the Commonwealth Department of the Environment.

CONTACT

Dr Skye Wassens
Charles Sturt University Albury-Wodonga
email 

November 2015