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This report card summarises the Department of Water's current state of knowledge of the physical, chemical and
biological characteristics of Shapland Swamp based on the knowledge gained from investigation and monitoring
conducted by the Department of Water through the South Coast Wetland Monitoring Program.
Accompanying this document are appendices which provide more detailed information about the wetland
monitoring program, terminology of wetland classification, parameters monitored, methodology and the
ANZECC&ARMCANZ guidelines used in this report.
Funding for this program has been provided through South Coast Natural Resource Management Inc. - supported
by the Australian Government and the Government of Western Australia.
About Shapland Swamp
Shapland Swamp is
located near the coast
approximately 13km east
of Denmark in Western
Australia within the
Wilson Inlet catchment
and the sub catchment of
the Sleeman River. The
wetland is at
approximately 5m AHD
(Australian Height
Datum) and the area
receives an annual average rainfall of 932mm.
| GPS Location Coordinates |
| Wetland Suite | Easting | Northing | MGA Zone |
| No Suite listed | 534621 | 6131510 | 50 |
Shapland Swamp is located on privately owned land
within a catchment of approximately 3km². The
wetland is a recovery demonstration site established
by Green Skills Inc. which has been fenced and
revegetated.
While the upper storey is still establishing, Kunzea
ericifolia, Melaleuca cuticularis (Saltwater paperbark)
are situated in the mid storey with Juncas pallidus,
Evandra aristata, native rushes and grasses in the
understorey. Aquatic plants including Azolla sp. and
Lemna spp (duckweed) regularly cover the swamp.
Approximately 60% of the catchment has been
cleared of native vegetation for agriculture.
Water quality monitoring commenced in
November 1999 which included physical,
chemical and biological parameters as outlined in
the appendices.
Wetland Classification
| Wetland type | Water Salinity | Consistency of Salinity | Size (Metres) | Shape |
| Floodplain | Fresh | Stasohaline | Microscale 260 x 70 | Elongate |
Classification of Shapland Swamp has been
evaluated on the basis of guidelines developed
by V & C Semeniuk Research Group. For further
explanation please refer to the appendices.
Salinity
Salinity over the sample period ranged between
fresh (0.86mS/cm) and marginal (1.88mS/cm).
Fluctuations in salinities relate to seasonal
fluctuations in rainfall, evaporation and water
levels.
Shapland Swamp is a low lying boggy area that
is a part of the Sleeman River flood plain. The
swamp fills following the onset of winter rains
and dries during summer. The wetland is
perched on clays above the more saline
groundwater and receives fresh surface runoff
and sub surface flow from surrounding land.
Depth to groundwater in two nearby bores in
1997 was 1.5m and 2.2m which, with capillary
rise, could potentially interact with the wetland.
Nutrients
Total Nitrogen (TN) concentrations ranged
between 1.6-3.2mg/L which exceeded the
guidelines developed for ecosystem protection for
southwest Australian wetlands for slightly disturbed
systems of 1.5mg/L on all sample occasions.
Dissolved inorganic nitrogen fractions of ammonia
(NH3-N) ranged between 0.01-0.16mg/L which
exceeded the recommended guideline value of
0.04mg/L on three of the seven sample occasions.
Total oxidised nitrogen (NOx-N) remained
consistent at <0.01mg/L which did not exceed the
recommended guideline value of 0.1mg/L on any
sample occasion.
Total Phosphorus (TP) concentration ranged
between 0.05-0.53mg/L which exceeded the water
quality guidelines of 0.06mg/L on five of the seven
sample occasions.
Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP) (form of
phosphorus available for uptake by plants) ranged
between 0.005-0.16mg/L which exceeded the
recommended water quality guideline value of
0.03mg/L on three of the seven sample occasions.
Nutrients are recycled naturally through the swamp due to uptake and assimilation of nutrients by
plants and animals and through release of nutrients
for example through microbial breakdown of
organic material.
Nutrients stores in the catchment may also enter
Shapland Swamp through surface runoff and sub
surface flow from the surrounding land.
Macroinvertebrates
Twenty two groups of macroinvertebrates were
found at Shaplands Swamp during the monitoring
period of which the most abundant included;
Cladocera (water fleas), Ostracoda (seed shrimp),
Copepoda (copepods), Amphipoda (scuds),
Gastropoda (snails/limpets), Acarina (spiders/
mites), Zygoptera (damselflies), Notonectidae
(backswimmers), Coleoptera (beetles) larvae, and
Chironomidae (non-biting midge larvae).
Other groups of less abundance were found
including; Oligochaeta (aquatic worms),
Hirudinea (leeches), Isopoda (slater like),
Decopoda (shrimp/prawn/ c r a y f i s h ) ,
Epiproctophora (dragonflies), Corixidae
(waterboatmen), Coleoptera (beetles) adult,
Ceratopogonidae (biting midge larvae),
Culicidae (mosquitoe larvae), Other Diptera (fly
larvae), Trichoptera (caddisflie larvae) and
Other taxa.
The diversity of macroinvertebrates found over
the sample period ranged between thirteen to
twenty two groups with a median of twenty
which rates as average based on the Ribbons
of Blue Wetland Habitat Score.
Each group of Macroinvertebrate play a
different role in the food chain, some feed on
organic material (Shredders), others feed on
fine organic particles (Collectors/filter feeders),
others graze on algae (Scrapers), some feed
on each other (Predators), others are parasitic
(Parasites) and some are Macrophyte piercers
that feed off living plants and algae fluids.
These groups are called Functional Feeding
Groups (FFG). Some Macroinvertebrates fit
into more than one of these groups, for
example the Water Boatman is a Predator, a
Scraper and a Macrophyte piercer.
A healthy wetland should have a representative
of each functional feeding group. A loss or
dominance in a particular group may indicate a
change in ecology of the wetland. The
composition of these groups at Shapland
Swamp are displayed in the below graph.
There appears to be a high number of
collectors / filter feeders which could relate to
high amount of suspended decomposing fine
particulate organic matter in the wetland.
Conclusion
Shapland Swamp is fresh to marginal and is fed
by surface runoff and sub surface flow from
surrounding land. The wetland is perched on
clays just above the groundwater which is close
to the surface. Nutrient concentrations were
consistently high however the available forms of
nitrogen and phosphorus were usually low. The
main consideration for Shapland Swamp is to
support and monitor the success of rehabilitation
management initiatives and confirm the wetlandgroundwater
relationship.
Some knowledge gaps were identified during the
investigation, monitoring and data analysis for
this wetland which should be addressed to
improve understanding of the water quality and
biodiversity and to detect changes over time.
The monitoring period was relatively short and
some effects of previous and current land use
change and management may not yet be
evident. Macroinvertebrates would need to be
identified to family or species level to allow more
detailed analysis of ecological condition and
relationship to other wetland characteristics. The
hydrology of the wetland and its catchment is not
fully understood or monitored, particularly the
interaction between groundwater and surface
water. A future monitoring program should be
developed to address these issues.
Acknowledgements
The Department of Water would like to sincerely
thank and acknowledge the following people for
their assistance and contribution toward the
South Coast Wetland Monitoring Program and
production of this report.
- John and Kathryn Shapland for their support
of the project and allowing access to the lake
on their property.
- Ruhi Ferdowsian (Department of Agriculture
and Food, Albany) for providing knowledge of
the hydrogeology associated with Shapland
Swamp.
- Ania Lorenz, Sherrie Randall, Kevin
Hopkinson, and Albany Department of Water
team who conducted the monitoring.
- Kevin Hopkinson, Naomi Arrowsmith, Andrew
Maughan and others for their support and
editing assistance.
- Sherrie Randall and Tracy Calvert for data
analysis and report compilation.
For further information please contact Tracy
Calvert at the Department of Water
Albany (08) 9842 5760.
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