ogram:













A Report on the Contingency Component of the
Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program:

Luggage Point Wastewater Treatment Plant
Nitrogen Upgrade Project - Task 1. Baseline
Monitoring

August 2000

Task 1. Baseline Monitoring

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Task 1. Baseline Monitoring

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................3
Methods..........................................................................................................................................................................4
Sampling Sites ...........................................................................................................................................................4
Water Quality Monitoring ........................................................................................................................................5
Biological Sampling..................................................................................................................................................5
Results and Discussion.................................................................................................................................................7
Key Processes - Water Quality and Phytoplankton Bioassays..............................................................................7
Human Impacts - Faecal Coliforms and Sewage Plume Mapping..................................................................... 10
Critical Habitat - Seagrass Distribution and Depth Range ................................................................................ 12
Summary..................................................................................................................................................................... 14
References................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Appendix..................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Appendix 1. Latitudes and Longitudes of the Sampling Sites.............................................................................. 15
Appendix 2. Analytical Techniques used for Ecosystem Health Monitoring ..................................................... 16
Appendix 3. Physico-chemical Water Quality Data............................................................................................ 18
Appendix 4. Nutrients and Chlorophyll a Data.................................................................................................... 19




EHMP Scientific Team Contributors:
Dr. Angela Grice

Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (QEPA)
Assoc. Prof. Bill Dennison
University of Queensland (UQ)
Dr. Adrian Jones

UQ
Dr. Eva Abal


SEQRWQMS
Dr. Simon Bell

QEPA
Mr. Dan Wruck

Queensland Health Scientific Services
Mr. Ivan Holland

QEPA
Water Quality Technical Staff
QEPA

Contact:
Dr. Angela Grice, EHMP Task Coordinator
QEPA Building, Natural Sciences Precinct
80 Meiers Rd, Indooroopilly QLD 4068
Ph: 07 3896 9285 email:Angela.Grice@env.qld.gov.au Task 1. Baseline Monitoring

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Introduction

Luggage Point Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently upgrading its facilities in order to
reduce the amount of nitrogen (N) that is discharged to the environment. Part of the
Voluntary Environmental Management Plan for this project involves a monitoring program
of its receiving waters, particularly to monitor and assess the environmental and human
health impacts in the event of a licence exceedance.

The Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program Scientific Team developed a contingency
monitoring program for this upgrade project that comprises two separate tasks. Task 1
involves the collection of baseline information on the water quality and ecosystem health of
the receiving waters prior to any exceedance in discharge limits. Task 2 involves the
collection of water quality and ecosystem health information in the event of a licence
exceedance. This two staged approach enables the environmental and human health impacts
of a licence exceedance to be effectively assessed against compliant baseline conditions. A
detailed description of the monitoring program is provided in the existing Voluntary
Environmental Management Plan for the Luggage Point Wastewater Treatment Plant
Nitrogen Upgrade Project.

This interim report presents the methods and preliminary results from Task 1 - Baseline water
quality and ecosystem health data of the receiving environment during compliant operation of
Luggage Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Task 1. Baseline Monitoring

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Methods

Sampling Sites
Water quality and biological sampling was carried out at 12 sites in the vicinity of Luggage
Point Wastewater Treatment Plant between 26 and 31 May 2000 (Figure 1, Appendix 1).
Sampling sites included:

the lower tidal reaches of the Brisbane River (sites 1-6);

30 m from the point of wastewater discharge (site 5);

600 m upstream of the wastewater discharge site (site 6); and

adjacent waters of the discharge site in western Moreton Bay (sites 7-12).









Figure 1.
Sampling sites for the collection of baseline information for the Luggage Point



contingency monitoring program.

12
11
10
4
9
8
7
3
2
1
5
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Water Quality Monitoring
The water quality parameters measured during the sampling period are listed in Table 1.
These parameters were recorded and collected by EPA field technicians in accordance with
the Water Quality Sampling Manual (QEPA Third Edition 1999). Nutrient samples were
analysed by Queensland Health Scientific Services. Two types of microbiological analysis,
Faecal Coliforms (thermotolerant bacteria including Escherischia coli) and Faecal
Streptococci, were carried out by Scientific Analytical Services, Brisbane Water.

Water quality parameters measured
26 May 2000
30 May 2000
pH
Chlorophyll a
Temperature
Ammonia
Salinity
Oxides of Nitrogen
Dissolved oxygen
Total N
Turbidity
Filterable reactive phosphorus
Light attenuation
Total P
Faecal coliforms

Faecal Streptococci



Table 1.
Water quality parameters measured to obtain baseline data for the Luggage



Point contingency monitoring program.

Biological Sampling
Biological sampling techniques were used to obtain information on measurable ecosystem
features in this region, including Key Processes, Human Impacts and Critical Habitats.
Measurement of these biological indicators enables changes to the ecosystem health within
the study region to be detected over time. A detailed description of the biological monitoring
techniques used is provided in Appendix 2.




Task 1. Baseline Monitoring

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Key Processes
Phytoplankton bioassays characterise the responses of phytoplankton in the water column to
nutrients and light. This information allows the identification of:

light versus nutrient limitation;

the major nutrients controlling phytoplankton populations; and

the capacity for the phytoplankton community to bloom in a functional aquatic zone.
Water samples were collected from every monitoring site for phytoplankton bioassays.
The responses of the phytoplankton to light and nutrients are represented as a Phytoplankton
Response Index. This index enables the direct comparison of the phytoplankton responses to
light versus nutrients across all of the sites.

Human Impacts
The extent of sewage derived nitrogen from Luggage Point into the ecosystem was sampled
by analysing the nitrogen stable isotope ratios ( 15
N) of macroalgae deployed in chambers for
a 4 day period at each monitoring site.

Critical Habitats
Seagrass covers approximately 25,000 hectares of Moreton Bay and is a critical habitat of the
marine ecosystem in this region. Monitoring of the dis