Aquatic biological survey of Pencil Pine Creek: Spring-Summer 2008/09 [Report to Parks and Wildlife Service, DPIPWE]

A survey of the status of instream biota of Pencil Pine Creek, Cradle Valley, is being conducted annually to monitor the effects of discharge of wastewater from a new wastewater treatment plant, collection and discharge system (Figure 1). This document describes the approach, methods and results of the survey which was conducted in each of spring (November) 2008 and summer (January) 2009. The survey is designed to collect data to assess the status and condition of instream biota – benthic macroinvertebrates and aquatic algae – at sites adjacent to and downstream of the proposed new discharge point in Pencil Pine Creek (i.e. receiving water sites). Several reference sites are also sampled to provide reference/control data against which to assess changes in Pencil Pine Creek. The data have been collected in four rounds to date – those reported by Davies et al. (2005, 2007, 2008) and that reported in this documen