Reduced water faecal contamination

Impact

In this context, faecal contamination refers to the presence of wastewater containing faecal matter (either animal or human).  Contaminated water often contains high levels of harmful micro-organisms and bacteria, such as faecal coliform, that may cause adverse effects in living organisms.  The decay of faecal contaminants uses dissolved oxygen and releases nutrients.  These nutrients stimulate the growth of aquatic organisms, particularly plants and algae, which in turn die and decay using oxygen.  Thus the presence of faecal contamination is often associated with a decline in dissolved oxygen levels that impacts aquatic fauna, e.g. fish kills.       

Suggested indicators: Faecal coliforms in water*

Reduced water faecal contamination may be associated with:

Potential associated impacts	Suggested indicators
Reduced water nutrient load	Nitrates in water* Phosphates in water*
Reduced potential for algal blooms	Microalgae in water*
Increased dissolved oxygen levels	Dissolved oxygen*
Changed abundance fish and invertebrates	Fish* Aquatic macro-invertebrates*
Changed health of terrestrial fauna that rely on water source	River & wetland fauna* Native land fauna* Exotic pest fauna*
Changed vegetation (aquatic and terrestrial) composition and condition	In-stream habitat* Impacts on native vegetation*
Reduced shellfish contamination

* Yet to be developed

 

Last updated: 27 August 2008

Land Manager's Monitoring Guide

• Monitoring overview
• Selecting indicators
• - Enterprise or production systems
• - Land practices
• - Management activity
• - Impact
• Indicators
• About the Land Manager's Monitoring Guide