General

Bacteria are widely used as an indicator of river health. Large numbers of bacteria are present in every aquatic system. They can be present in numbers of up to billions per individuals and thousands of species per litre. Bacteria respond rapidly to changes in conditions. They can become active and start to grow within periods of minutes to hours. They have a pivotal role in transforming (spiralling and cycling) carbon, mineral nutrients and trace gases in all aquatic ecosystems, including rivers and streams. For this reason bacteria are extremely important in the ‘bottom up’ control of riverine ecosystems (Hart, et al, 1996).

Protocols

Microbial indicators of Water Quality
http://www.health.gov.au/nhmrc/advice/microb.pdf

Bacteria and Human Health
http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/publications/draftbeachwatchinfopackageappsa-g.pdf

Hart, H., Ross, J. and Veal, D. (1996) Microbial Indicators of River Health. Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation, LWRRDC Occasional Paper Series No. 7/96.

Costs

Approximately $15-35 per sample.

Case Studies

BacteriAlert program
http://ga2.er.usgs.gov/bacteria/

CSIRO
http://www.marine.csiro.au/ResProj/CoasEnvMarPol/biomarkers.html

EPA: Monitoring Coastal water quality
http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/beach/monitoring.htm

Sydney water: Monitoring bacteria levels
http://www.sydneywater.com.au/html/AER2000/html/qual_inland/inland_bacteria.htm

Organisation contacts

Department of the Environment and Heritage
John Gorton Building
King Edward Terrace
Parkes ACT 2600
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: +61 2 6274 1111
Fax: +61 2 6274 1666
Email: Comments, Queries and Suggestions
URL: http://www.deh.gov.au

NSW Department of Environment and Conservation
59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney
PO Box A290, Sydney South 1232
Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switch)
Fax: (02) 9995 5999