Information
Off-site transport of nutrients and sediment from three main land-uses in the Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia
Level 1 General description
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to quantify the loads of sediment and nutrients transported off-site into ephemeral streams from three main land uses in the Mt Lofty Ranges.
Methods (brief)
Three sites (two in the Cock Creek Catchment and one in the Charleston Catchment) with varied land uses were instrumented with rain gauges, flow meters and auto-samplers to measure the water flow volume, and collect samples for analyses from May/July 2006 to December 2009.
Key findings (brief)
- The highest total suspended solids (TSS) were found in surface drainage from the vineyard, with the highest total load of TSS from all sites found in the first runoff events for the year.
- The maximum concentration of total nitrogen (TN) (85 mg/L) was exhibited at the cherry orchard in 2007.
- The maximum concentration of total phosphorus (TP) (2.79 mg/L) was exhibited at the vineyard in 2009.
- The maximum concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) (216.8 mg/L) was exhibited at the cherry orchard in 2007
Location
Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia
Related studies
NA