MCMC Waterwatch had a busy early spring 2022 working with local community collecting information on the water quality of the Moonee Ponds Creek. We focused on the area close to Strathmore North Primary School (PS). Our aim was to get baseline data of the current water quality of the Moonee Ponds Creek at this site before works started to remove the concrete channel, and where possible, to involve the local community in this data collection.

Strathmore North PS Year 4 science students completed water testing in early October (2022). Although the salinity (720 EC) wasn’t as high as other sampling dates and pH was within normal limits, nutrient levels and turbidity (muddiness) were all high. Then, in late October, Brunswick Cubs completed water testing and found that salinity was very high (2200 EC!), as were nutrients and turbidity.

You can see all this data on the Waterwatch Victoria data portal - use the site code search tool on the left hand side to search for Moonee Ponds Creek. 

To complement the physical chemical data, MCMC Waterwatch staff completed an aquatic macroinvertebrate (waterbug) study in early October. The results showed very little waterbug diversity, only 6 taxa, when over 20 taxa is considered ecologically healthy. This low range of taxa and taxa being all pollution tolerant, indicate that the creek is badly impacted by the low range of riparian and in-stream habitats. Stormwater pollution is also likely to have had an impact. This waterbug report can be downloaded on the MCMC citizen science WQ summaries page.

Despite the unhealthy ecological results (but not surprising) the Brunswick Cubs and Strathmore North PS students loved the Moonee Ponds Creek sample collection, testing and discussion on the results. They all want to continue sampling and testing once the channel works are complete in 2023. Hopefully, we will find better water testing results and more diversity of water bug life.

The Moonee Ponds at Strathmore Waterwatch community monitoring was funded by Melbourne Water, Merri-bek City Council and Moonee Valley City Council.