Monitoring of a mixed land use catchment for pollutant source characterisation

Protection of surface water quality is a key driver in catchment management, particularly for areas undergoing land use change. Changing land use can result in the input of a range of pollutants to surface waters, resulting in water quality impairment, leading to eutrophication and the appearance of algae blooms. This study investigated a mixed land use coastal catchment by undertaking extensive field sampling and data analysis for pollutant source characterisation. The objective was to contribute to a greater understanding of pollutant inputs to surface water resources and for effective catchment management. Based on data analysis results, a diversity of pollutant sources was noted, including both natural areas and areas subject to anthropogenic activities such as agriculture and urban developments, with agricultural areas being comparatively more significant in exporting nutrients. Additionally, pollutant inputs into estuarine and freshwater areas were found to have specific characteristics influenced by land use. The pollutant inputs from these sources were found to be significantly affected by seasonal factors, with the dominant pollutant sources differing between the wet and dry seasons. This underlines the importance of taking seasonal factors into account in the development of effective catchment management strategies. Based on the study outcomes, a critical point monitoring program was developed with a focus on preventing algae blooms. This will allow the development of a decentralised catchment management strategy where resource-efficient monitoring of critical pollutant parameters at key locations can be undertaken for minimising the risk from algae blooms, rather than implementing a whole of catchment and resource-demanding large-scale monitoring program.