Carey Brook - Staircase Road

Basin : Donnelly River

Catchment : Donnelly River

The condition of the Staircase Road (site code: DR48CARE1/6081065), in the lower catchment of  Carey Brook, has been assessed on several occasions:

  • 8-9 Feb 2017
  • 6-7 Feb 2020
  • 17-18 Aug 2020
  • 27-28 Feb 2023
  • 23-24 Feb 2026

The assessment was conducted using standard methods from the South West Index of River Condition. Measures chosen for this assessment included fish and crayfish, aquatic habitat, water quality (dissolved oxygen, temperature, electrical conductivity, and pH logged over 24h, and colour, alkalinity, turbidity and nutrients), fringing vegetation, channel morphology, erosion, connectivity, local land use and flow.

For a sub-set of the assessments above, water quality loggers were deployed for extended periods (as listed below). This enables assessment of water quality responses to changes in climate, streamflow and factors such as the intactness of vegetation within the river corridor. Longer term deployment allows detection of sub-optimal water quality conditions, which can be missed during the standard 24-hour assessment.

  • 17 August 2020 to 3 December 2020

Condition summary

Please contact the River Science Branch for site information.

Fish and crayfish

Five fish species and two crayfish species were found at this site during the assessments:

  • Bostockia porosa (Nightfish)
  • Geotria australis (Pouched lamprey, ammocoete and adult)
  • Galaxias occidentalis (Western minnow)
  • Nannoperca vittata (Western pygmy perch)
  • Oncorhynchus mykiss (Rainbow trout) – non-native
  • Cherax cainii (Smooth marron)
  • Cherax crassimanus (Restricted gilgie)

Click on the images below to learn more.

 

Species found in subcatchment

This includes all species found within the subcatchment of the assessment site, from this and previous studies in the area. The photos are linked to more information about each species, including maps of where they are expected across the south-west.

Explore other sites in the catchment