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Assessment of Water Quality of Water Collected from two Sampling Sites of the Georges River Catchment Area Abstract The study of the Georges River aimed to monitor the health of two chosen sites and determine the health of the water. In situ and laboratory testing was conducted and the health of Lieutenant Cantello Reserve was determined to be greater than that of Tom Uglys Point due to its location being further up-stream. The research found that industrial and suburban sites is likely the cause of pollutants being present.

Introduction Aquatic ecosystems play an important role in the survival of life on Earth, contributing up to 45% of global primary production (Duarte & Agustí, 1998). The analysis of water samples is of vital importance to ensure the survival of aquatic species and ecosystems, while also allowing for the ensured safe use of the body of water whether it be recreational or other such uses (Slavik & Uhl, 2009). There are a large number of ways to assess water quality including total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, Turbidity (NTU), alkalinity and copper concentration (Cu 2+). TDS measures dissolved components (not gases) in water. Increased TDS increases conductivity which is linked to the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems (Bodkin et al., 2007). DO levels are vital to the survival of aquatic species. Aquatic species will die when levels fall below 1-2 mg/L and become distressed from levels of 5 mg/L or less (Srikanth, 2018). Declining pH has the ability to modify ecosystems, with strong impacts on calcification and photosynthesis rates (Busch & McElhany, 2016). Turbidity can affect the distribution and growth of aquatic plants. Increased turbidity limits the light available for photosynthesis, and therefore impedes upon plant growth (Austin et al., 2017). Alkalinity is the ability of water to maintain a relatively stable pH. Increased alkalinity can cause an increase in pH, i.e. greater alkalinity will require more acid to reduce the pH. It has been seen that higher levels of alkalinity also promote the growth of roots by promoting higher photosynthesis rates (Raun et al., 2010). Copper is an essential element for all forms of life, but only in low concentrations. Elevated concentrations of copper in aquatic ecosystems can have detrimental effects on the organisms living there (Foekema et al., 2015). The Georges River stretches over ~100km in length (the catchment area being 960 km2). The Lieutenant Cantello Reserve is located in Hammondville, NSW and Tom Uglys Point is located in Blakehurst, NSW. The Lieutenant Cantello Reserve contains freshwater, whereas Tom Uglys Point is a saltwater area. The shift from freshwater to saltwater is of vital importance to species such as mangroves which can be located along the river (Nguyen et al., 2017). The monitoring of all aquatic ecosystems is vital for their long-term survival, and so assessing the chemical elements of water quality can assist in the conservation of ecosystems and the species within them (Kumar et al., 2015).

There has been little study into the water quality of two specific catchment sites (Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and Tom Uglys Point) in recent years, and so there is a lack of information surrounding the water quality, and therefore the health of the contained and surrounding ecosystems. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of the water within the Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and Tom Uglys Point and therefore monitor the health of the Georges River catchment area. It was hypothesised that the water quality from the upper river (Lieutenant Cantello Reserve) would be better than Tom Uglys Point and, therefore, the overall health of the upper river would affect that of the lower river (Tom Uglys Point).

Methods In situ testing was carried out for pH, DO, TDS (conductivity) and turbidity, while laboratory testing was conducted for alkalinity and copper determination. All tests were carried out following the procedure outlined within the UTS Environmental Chemistry Manual (UTS, 2020). Each of the tests conducted (both in situ and laboratory) were repeated three times each for both the Lieutenant Cantello Reserve area and the Tom Uglys Point area. All results were recorded in excel.

Results The average TDS levels at Lieutenant Cantello Reserve were found to be lower at 1478.33 mg/L, whereas Tom Uglys Point was 4761.67 mg/L (Figure 1). It was also found that average turbidity, alkalinity and [Cu2+] (ppb) were all lower at Lieutenant Cantello Reserve. Turbidity at the reserve was 1.27 NTU, and at Tom Uglys Point is was 1.86 (Figure 2). Figure 3 shows the alkalinity at Lieutenant Cantello Reserve was found to be 54.67 mg/L, while Tom Uglys Point was found to be higher at 84.80 mg/L. Average copper levels were also found to be lower at the reserve with 1.23 ppb being recorded, and 7.93 ppb being recorded at Tom Uglys Point (Figure 4). 5000

4761.67

4500 4000

TDS (mg/L)

3500 3000 2500 2000 1500

1478.33

1000 500 0 Lieutenant Cantello Reserve

Tom Uglys Point

Figure 1: The average amount of Total Disso from both Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and T

2

1.86

1.6

90

1.4

80

1.2

70

Alkalinity (mg/L) (CaCO3)

Turbidity (NTU)

1.8

1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2

60

84.8

54.67

50 40 30 20

0 Lieutenan

10 0 Lieutenant Cantello Reserve

Figure 2: Average turbidity (NTU) levels from Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and Tom Uglys Point

Figure 3: Average alkalinity mg/L (CaCO3) from Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and Tom Uglys Point

Tom Uglys Point

9 7.93

8 7

[Cu2+] (ppb)

6 5 4 3 2 1.23 1 0 Lieutenant Cantello Reserve

Tom Uglys Point

Figure 4: Average copper (Cu2+) concentration in ppb from Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and Tom Uglys Point

It was seen that both DO 102 101.33 and pH levels were higher at 100 Lieutenant Cantello 98 Reserve, and therefore 96 lower at Tom 94 Uglys Point. Lieutenant 91.67 92 Cantello Reserve had an 90 average DO 88 level of 101.33%, 86 whereas Tom Lieutenant Cantello Reserve Tom Uglys Point Uglys Point recorded 91.67% (Figure 5). A n average pH of 7.96 was recorded for Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and Tom Uglys Point recorded 6.44 (Figure 6) DO (% sat.)

104

Figure 5: Average DO (% sat) taken from 3 results from both Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and Tom Uglys Point.

9 8

7.96

7

6.44

6

pH

5 4 3 2 1 0 Lieutenant Cantello Reserve

Tom Uglys Point

Figure 6: Average pH level for two sample points from the Georges River; Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and Tom Uglys Point

Discussion The results showed a distinct difference in the water quality between the two observed sample sites; Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and Tom Uglys Point. The reserve showed higher levels of DO and pH, and lower levels for TDS, turbidity, alkalinity and copper concentration. Each measurement can be attributed to the surrounding areas of the sample sights and the locations that the incoming water flow has passed through. TDS levels were higher at Tom Uglys Point than Lieutenant Cantello Reserve indicating that the ecosystems (and species within them) at this sample site would be adversely impacted by the dissolved contents within the water (Ivanova & Kazantseva, 2006). TDS encompasses dissolved salts, which, in high levels, can dehydrate the skin of animals (Sundar & Muralidharan, 2019). High levels of TDS can also impact on water clarity which may limit the photosynthetic ability of organisms within the water (Mane et al., 2011). Between Lieutenant Cantello Reserve and Tom Uglys Point the Georges River passes through a large amount of industrial and suburban areas. This would contribute to the increased TDS levels in the Tom Uglys site in comparison to that of Lieutenant Cantello Reserve (Alameddine et al., 2017). Similarly, turbidity being higher at Tom Uglys Point can also be attributed to the location of the sample site. Turbidity has a similar impact on the ecosystem as that of TDS with increased turbidity reducing visibility and reducing the light available for photosynthesis (Larsen et al., 2017). Copper concentration has been found to be toxic to organisms even at low concentrations (Bui et al., 2016) and can impede upon the ability of an organism to function properly (Lahman, 2015). Increased

copper concentration can once again be accredited to the surrounding in which the water passes through. Human activities will increase the amount of copper through leaching and disposal methods in industrial regions which can make its way into waterways (Amin et al., 2013). Alkalinity levels were also higher at Tom Uglys Point, however both sites were within the typical levels of natural waterways (Wright et al., 2007), indicating alkalinity does not have a large impact on the ecosystems within either of these areas (Schindler, 1986). Dissolved oxygen levels were higher at Lieutenant Cantello Reserve (101.33%) than Tom Uglys Point (91.57%), but do not exceed dangerous levels of 110% (Ozturk & Palsson, 1990). Lower concentrations of dissolved oxygen cause greater stress to aquatic organisms, however a level of 91% is also comfortable for aquatic growth (Tran-Ngoc et al., 2016). Therefore, it can be determined that dissolved oxygen is not detrimental to the organisms in either sample site. Additionally, pH levels for both sample sites are within the optimum range for aquatic organisms (Maruo et al., 2010) indicating that it also doesn’t impact upon the health of aquatic ecosystems within the area. Limitations in this experiment encompass human errors in both reading and measurements. It is also limited as measurements were taken on one day, at one time instead of monitoring changes across a day/s. This study supports the hypothesis that the water quality of Lieutenant Cantello Reserve would be greater than Tom Uglys Point.

Conclusion Aquatic ecosystems are a crucial element in the actuality of aquatic organisms and nutrient cycling. At present, there are limited studies into the water quality of the Georges River which stretches over ~100 km, passing through industrial and suburban regions. For this reason, research into the region was of vital importance. It was found that the health of Lieutenant Cantello Reserve , overall, was greater than that of Tom Uglys Point. Lieutenant Cantello Reserve had lower levels of TDS, turbidity, alkalinity and copper concentration, while it had higher levels of dissolved oxygen and pH. This can be attributed to the Reserve being near the start of the river and exposed to less industrial sites, and therefore carrying less contaminants. This research can be used in the future in order to further assess the river, and also monitor the health of the monitored sites in the future.

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