Design of water quality monitoring programs and automatic sampling techniques

Abstract

An important means of characterising the health of streams is through the measurement of the sediment and nutrient fluxes that they transport. Cost effective and targeted water quality monitoring programs are required to properly quantify both the total loads and temporal distribution of these fluxes at catchment scales. Careful analysis of data from such programs ensures ameliorative efforts to reduce the biological, chemical and physical impacts of high loads are targeted to have the best effect. <br><br> This paper reports on the development of a monitoring program in tributaries of the upper Murrumbidgee River. The aim of the program is to provide data for the modelling of both nutrient and sediment loads transported from upland catchments. The objective of the modelling is to spatially identify sediment transport and storage dynamics together with source strength variations in upland catchments. A brief review of design considerations for water quality programs is made with reference to the Murrumbidgee case study. The tools, techniques and sites of an alternative monitoring program in tributaries of the upper Murrumbidgee River are detailed. Included in the paper are modifications to the design of Graczyk et al. (2000) for an inexpensive, rising-stage water quality sampler, suitable for Australian conditions and currently in use. The research demonstrates that water quality data can be collected simply and cost effectively if programs are appropriately designed. Show more