Impacts of deep open drains on water quality and biodiversity of receiving waterways in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia

Extensive networks of deep drains are being built in Western Australia to reduce the effects of dryland salinity on agricultural lands. Most of these drains discharge into natural river and wetland systems, with little consideration given to the environmental impacts. This study examined the downstr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia 2009-02, Vol.619 (1), p.103-118
Main Authors: Stewart, Barbara, Strehlow, Karin, Davis, Jenny
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Arid zones
Biodiversity
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Ceratopogonidae
Community composition
Drains
Ecology
Environmental impact
Freshwater
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Invertebrates
Larvae
Life Sciences
Orthocladiinae
Primary Research Paper
Receiving waters
Riparian ecology
Salinity
Species richness
Streams
Surface water
Synecology
Water quality
Water quality measurements
Waterways
Zoology
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Summary:Extensive networks of deep drains are being built in Western Australia to reduce the effects of dryland salinity on agricultural lands. Most of these drains discharge into natural river and wetland systems, with little consideration given to the environmental impacts. This study examined the downstream ecological impacts of one of the oldest deep drain networks in Western Australia, located in the Wakeman subcatchment near Narembeen. Twelve sites were sampled bi-monthly from October 2004 to September 2006. On each occasion, water quality parameters were measured and the macro-invertebrate fauna was sampled. Significant differences in water quality and macro-invertebrates were observed between the untreated sites and those affected by the drain discharge. Surface water at untreated sites was always fresh (
ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1007/s10750-008-9603-x