Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program (PCIMP)

Program start date

2001

Program end date

Ongoing

Objectives of the program

The broad objectives of the program are to assess the quality of water and adjacent ecosystems in the Port Curtis region to determine trends over time. The program is designed to identify any potential areas for concern without assigning direct causality. The key objectives of the program are to:

• increase community awareness, education and understanding of local water quality and water quality management
• quantify concentrations of various indicators within the Port Curtis region to establish a baseline, and continually monitor the condition of the region
• engage and involve stakeholders to adopt adaptive management practices, if required
• collect and collate high-quality data from sites within the Port Curtis region for Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program members and the Port Curtis Ecosystem Health Report Card.

Who is involved?

Lead organisation

Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program (PCIMP)

Contact details of lead organisation:admin♲pcimp.com.au

Partner organisations

PCIMP consist of representatives from Gladstone industry, government (both local and state), research institutions and other stakeholders.

List of indicators monitored

Physicochemical parameters:

• pH
• Dissolved oxygen
• Temperature
• Specific electrical conductivity
• Turbidity
• Light attenuation (Kd or euphotic depth)
• Total suspended solids
• Oxidation reduction potential

Nutrients:

• Ammonia
• Total nitrogen
• Chlorophyll a
• TOC
• DOC
• Nitrate
• Nitrite
• Phosphorus
• Orthophosphate

Metals:

• Totals (17 metals)
• Oyster accumulation (17 metals)
• Field filtered

Non-Metals:

• water & oyster shell Fluoride
• Cyanide

Biological indicators with water column (NB carried out until 2011 and are currently under review):

• Chlorophyll a
• Macroalgal abundance and diversity on settlement plates
• Invertebrate abundance and diversity on settlement plates

Intertidal sediments (NB carried out until 2011 and are currently under review):

• Sediment particle size
• Metals (17)
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (19)
• Total organic carbon

Mangroves (NB carried out until 2011 and are currently under review):

• Projective foliage cover
• Seedling density and biomass
• Tree density and biomass
• Crab hole density
• Mangrove root metal concentration
• Species diversity

Intertidal invertebrates (NB carried out until 2011 and are currently under review):

• Abundance
• Diversity
• Species richness

Seagrass:

• Meadow area
• Biomass
• Species composition
• Amphipod distribution and abundance
• Seagrass is currently being monitored at a high frequency by Gladstone Ports Corporation Ltd to meet the approval conditions required of the Western Basin Dredging & Disposal Project.  Monitoring will revert back to PCIMP following the completion of the project.

Scale of program

Port Curtis (port-wide)

Brief description of sampling locations

54 water sites are used to assess the water quality of Port Curtis. The sites range from the Narrows in the north to Rodds Bay in the south. The intertidal monitoring component of PCIMP was conducted over 62 sites across the harbour until 2011. The scope of this part of the program is currently under review. PCIMP also measures the health of seagrass meadows in Port Curtis.

Frequency of monitoring

The water quality component of PCIMP is conducted quarterly (annually until 2011). The intertidal monitoring component was carried out every 3 years until 2011, this is currently under review. Additional monitoring is undertaken on an as needs basis.

Where is the program reported?

Port Curtis Integrated Monitoring Program - Water Quality

Last updated: 22 March 2013