Corangamite Catchment Management Authority 64 Dennis St (PO Box 159) Colac Victoria 3250 (T) 03 5232 9100 (F) 03 5232 2759 (E) [email protected] www.ccma.vic.gov.au Anglesea, as a seaside holiday resort, is both a permanent home for residents and a great coastal escape for holiday makers, day visitors and those on weekends away. Tourism is the primary driver of the town and the seasonal use of the estuary reflects this, with peak use periods in the summer months. The Anglesea River is 20.6km long and has two tributaries, Salt and Marshy Creek. The catchment is dominated by the Anglesea Heath, a rich and diverse plant community. The Anglesea River estuary can be defined as an ICOLL (intermittently closed and open lake or lagoon). When open, the estuary flows into Bass Strait. When closed, flooding can occur in low lying areas. The dominant process shaping the estuary mouth condition is the net eastward longshore transport of sand which traps the sand in the mouth of the estuary. The flooding of the River Reserve on the Anglesea River estuary during the storm surge on 11/05/2015. This brochure summarises twelve months of EstuaryWatch estuary mouth condition and physical and chemical data. The Anglesea River EstuaryWatch volunteers monitor five physical and chemical sites during each monitoring session. In 2015, volunteers conducted 12 monthly monitoring sessions. Anglesea River is an intermittently open estuary. In 2015 there were nine estuary openings recorded, March 17 (1.56 AHD), March 24 (1.64 AHD), April 22 (1.63 AHD), May 8 (1.72 AHD), May 12 (1.83 AHD), June 18 (1.7 AHD), July 10 (1.62 AHD), August 7 (1.65 AHD) and December 21 (1.61 AHD). Eight of the estuary openings were recorded as artificial and one as natural. Estuary mouth closures were recorded at many other estuaries in Victoria during 2015. The lowest water temperature recorded in 2015 was 7.9°C on July 15 likely due to river inflows of winter rainfall. The highest water temperature recorded was 24.8°C on January 30 at the footbridge near Bingley Parade (Site A3), an increase in temperature and salinity with depth was observed at this site on most occasions. Over the 12 months salinity levels throughout the estuary remained brackish ranging from 1.8 – 26.7ppt. Dissolved oxygen levels were mostly in the healthy range (median 89% saturation). The pH ranged from 5.6 – 9.6 pH units. EstuaryWatch records at Anglesea River estuary extend from 2007 and can be viewed at www.estuarywatch.com.au Map of the Anglesea River estuary and the location of EstuaryWatch water quality monitoring sites. Source: Google Maps Staff from Ecologic seine netting local fish species from the Anglesea River estuary during an educational training day with EstuaryWatch volunteers. EstuaryWatch volunteers collecting water samples at the Anglesea River estuary. – Join the Anglesea River EstuaryWatch group www.estuarywatch.com.au – Register the estuary as a clean-up site on the Clean Up Australia day. www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au – Join a local environment group such as ANGAIR to find out about walks, working bees and workshops that might be happening in Anglesea. www.angair.org.au – Share what you have learnt from this annual summary with a friend or family member. Threats to the Anglesea River estuary – Altered water regimes – Altered physical form – Poor water quality – Acid sulphate soils – Invasive flora and fauna – Reduced connectivity Type of Estuary: Riverine Location: -38.410162, 144.187359 Nearest town: Anglesea Estuary length: 2.618 km River length: 20.595 km Mouth state: Intermittently open Description: The Anglesea River estuary is part of the Anglesea River catchment in south-west Victoria and sits in within the Otway Basin. The estuary has high social value. Date range: 01/01/2015 – 31/12/2015 ANGLESEA RIVER ESTUARY 2015
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Corangamite Catchment Management Authority 64 Dennis St (PO Box 159) Colac Victoria 3250 (T) 03 5232 9100 (F) 03 5232 2759 (E) [email protected] www.ccma.vic.gov.au
Anglesea, as a seaside holiday resort, is both a permanent home for residents and a great coastal escape for holiday makers, day visitors and those on weekends away. Tourism is the primary driver of the town and the seasonal use of the estuary reflects this, with peak use periods in the summer months. The Anglesea River is 20.6km long and has two tributaries, Salt and Marshy Creek. The catchment is dominated by the Anglesea Heath, a rich and diverse plant community. The Anglesea River estuary can be defined as an ICOLL (intermittently closed and open lake or lagoon). When open, the estuary flows into Bass Strait. When closed, flooding can occur in low lying areas. The dominant process shaping the estuary mouth condition is the net eastward longshore transport of sand which traps the sand in the mouth of the estuary.
The flooding of the River Reserve on the Anglesea River estuary during the storm surge on 11/05/2015.
This brochure summarises twelve months of EstuaryWatch estuary mouth condition and physical and chemical data. The Anglesea River EstuaryWatch volunteers monitor five physical and chemical sites during each monitoring session. In 2015, volunteers conducted 12 monthly monitoring sessions.
Anglesea River is an intermittently open estuary. In 2015 there were nine estuary openings recorded, March 17 (1.56 AHD), March 24 (1.64 AHD), April 22 (1.63 AHD), May 8 (1.72 AHD), May 12 (1.83 AHD), June 18 (1.7 AHD), July 10 (1.62 AHD), August 7 (1.65 AHD) and December 21 (1.61 AHD). Eight of the estuary openings were recorded as artificial and one as natural. Estuary mouth closures were recorded at many other estuaries in Victoria during 2015. The lowest water temperature recorded in 2015 was 7.9°C on July 15 likely due to river inflows of winter rainfall. The highest water temperature recorded was 24.8°C on January 30 at the footbridge near Bingley Parade (Site A3), an increase in temperature and salinity with depth was observed at this site on most occasions. Over the 12 months salinity levels throughout the estuary remained brackish ranging from 1.8 – 26.7ppt. Dissolved oxygen levels were mostly in the healthy range (median 89% saturation). The pH ranged from 5.6 – 9.6 pH units. EstuaryWatch records at Anglesea River estuary extend from 2007 and can be viewed at www.estuarywatch.com.au
Map of the Anglesea River estuary and the location of EstuaryWatch water quality monitoring sites. Source: Google Maps
Staff from Ecologic seine netting local fish species from the Anglesea River estuary during an educational training day with EstuaryWatch volunteers.
EstuaryWatch volunteers collecting water samples at the Anglesea River estuary.
– Join the Anglesea River EstuaryWatch group
www.estuarywatch.com.au
– Register the estuary as a clean-up site on the Clean Up Australia day.
www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au
– Join a local environment group such as ANGAIR to find out about walks, working bees and workshops that might be happening in Anglesea.
www.angair.org.au
– Share what you have learnt from this annual summary with a friend or family member.
Threats to the Anglesea River estuary
– Altered water regimes
– Altered physical form
– Poor water quality
– Acid sulphate soils
– Invasive flora and fauna
– Reduced connectivity
Type of Estuary: Riverine
Location: -38.410162,
144.187359
Nearest town: Anglesea
Estuary length: 2.618 km
River length: 20.595 km
Mouth state: Intermittently open
Description: The Anglesea River estuary is part of the Anglesea River catchment in south-west Victoria and sits in within the Otway Basin. The estuary has high social value.
Date range: 01/01/2015 – 31/12/2015
ANGLESEA RIVER ESTUARY 2015
For all four monitoring sessions chosen for the EstuaryWatch Snapshots, photo point photos and a longitudinal profile of the estuary from site A1(Anglesea Visitors Centre) to site A5 (Culvert at Coalmine Rd) is displayed. The longitudinal profile shows the depth, salinity and percent saturation of dissolved oxygen (DO) at each monitoring site from the surface of the water column to the bottom. Of additional interest is the increase in salinity and temperature below a certain depth observed at sites A3 and A5.
The flooding of low lying roads around the Anglesea River estuary during the storm surge on 11/05/2015.
Higher than average rainfall occurred during May 2015 (91mm), from May 9 – 11, 29mm of rainfall was recorded in the Anglesea River catchment. This weather system resulted in rain and damaging winds over much of Victoria.
On May 11, the storm surge from this weather system resulted in the water level within the estuary rising to 1.83m AHD, the highest level recorded during 2015.
During this time low lying areas flooded. Following this on May 12 the estuary mouth opened naturally, flushing the sand from the mouth of the estuary, the water level within the estuary dropped to 1.26 AHD by May 17, the lowest water level recorded for 2015.
Common Galaxia, Galaxias maculatus
The Common Galaxias adults live in calm waters of low-elevation streams, during autumn they migrate downstream to spawn. Thousands of small eggs are laid in vegetation on the margins of estuaries at spring tides, and often spend up to two weeks out of water until the next spring tide. The larvae then leave the estuary and spend 5 to 6 months at sea as juveniles before returning to the estuary as whitebait moving upstream to the freshwater to mature.
See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/common-galaxias-galaxias-maculatus#sthash.tCABw6N7.dpuf
Photo: Whitebait stage Common Galaxias. Photographer: Rudie Kuiter ©
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Average Monthly Rainfall 1965-2015
Monthly Rainfall 2015
Water Level (m)
Artificial Estuary Mouth Opening
Natural Estuary Mouth Opening
Rainfall data sourced from BOM Wensleydale WS87119.Water level data sourced from DELWP Site 235278 Anglsea River at Great Ocean Rd BridgeEstuary opening data sourced from CCMA
A comparison of long term average monthly rainfall with 2015 monthly total rainfall, including estuary water level. Also displayed are the estuary mouth openings both natural and artificial for the Anglesea River estuary. Note the below average rainfall from June to December.
Date: 30/01/2015 Estuary mouth state: CLOSED
Date: 01/04/2015 Estuary mouth state: OPEN
Date: 15/07/2015 Estuary mouth state: OPEN
Date: 21/10/2015 Estuary mouth state: CLOSED
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