TAPP WATER TESTING REPORT SUMMARY for July 2025
Trigger values from Qld Govt Water Quality Guidelines, Dept of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation. (see appendix for details)
Australian Government Initiative: Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality.
Bioindicators included in reports based on microscopic examination of sediment.
Sites latitude and longitude as per Google Maps

Abandoned Sewage Farm July 2nd
Lat 26.8248002 Sth
Long 153.1002173 East
EC 4430 uS/cm
TDS 3140 ppm
salinity 2.20 ppt, 0.22% (slightly brackish water)
DO 87% 7.4 mg/L
KH 38 ppm (low buffering, low alkalinity, low carbonate hardness)
GH 544 ppm extremely high total hardness due to Ca/Mg ions from lime
NO3 Nitrate 7 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NH3 0 ppm, PO4 0 ppm
Sulfate >100 ppm very high
iron 850 ppb high
Chromium 20 ppb (fresh water trigger value is 3.4 ppb)
Copper 0 ppb
Nickel 100 ppm (fresh water trigger value for nickel is 11 ppb)
Chloride not done
Aluminium not done
Manganese 0 ppm
BIO-IND BIO-INDICATORS (indicate poor water quality with reduced biodiversity)
Biological indicators show some cryptomonads (flagellates), no copepods, no diatoms, no protists, no invertebrates

Bicentannial Park Creek, Caloundra July 6th
Lat 26.8028463 south
Long 153.1260224 east
pH 7.3
temp 21.9 deg C
EC 317 uS/cm
TDS 225 ppm
Salinity 0.16 ppt 0.016% (fresh water)
D.O. 78% 7.2 mg/L
ORP 190 mV
KH 60 ppm (CaCO3 hardness soft fresh water)
GH 68 ppm (Ca and Mg hardness) soft water
low NO3 0 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NH3 0 ppm, PO4 0.2 ppm (all normal)
sulfate 30 mg/L (low)
Significantly high iron at 538 ppb (freshwater high reliability trigger value for iron is 300 ppb)
High Nickel 80 mg/L or 80,000 ppb (freshwater high reliability trigger value for nickel is 11 ppb) This is 7000 times higher than the safe level.
Copper 7 ppb
Chromium 16 ppb (fresh water trigger value is 3.4 ppb)
BIO-IND BIO-INDICATORS (poor water quality)
No zooplankton, no phytoplankton, some algae

Drain to Coochin Creek, single lane bridge July 8th
Lat 26.88392 south
Long 153.06301 east
pH 5.0 (very acidic)
EC 488 uS/cm
TDS 348 ppm
Salinity 0.24 ppt 0.024% (fresh water)
D.O. 95% 7.9 mg/L
ORP 253 mV
KH 15 ppm ( low CaCO3 hardness, soft fresh water)
GH 49 ppm (low Ca and Mg hardness) soft fresh water indicating no added lime to water
low NO3 0 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NH3 0 ppm, PO4 0.2 ppm (all normal)
sulfate less than 20 mg/L (low)
Significantly high iron at 880 ppb (freshwater high reliability trigger value for iron is 300 ppb)
Nickel 0 ppb
Copper 0 ppb
Chromium 0 ppb
BIO-INDICATORS (indicate very poor water quality)
Microfibers ++, No zooplankton, no phytoplankton, no algae

Drain to Coochin Creek July 8th
Lat 26.89337 south
Long 153.06400 east
pH 7.5
EC 443 uS/cm
TDS 328 ppm
Salinity 0.23 ppt 0.023% (fresh water)
D.O. 93% 7.9 mg/L
ORP 173 mV
KH 28 ppm (CaCO3 hardness) soft fresh water
GH 102 ppm (Ca and Mg hardness) moderate hard water, indication of lime added to water
low NO3 0 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NH3 0 ppm, PO4 0.2 ppm (all normal)
sulfate 60 mg/L (moderate high)
Iron at 229 ppb (freshwater high reliability trigger value for iron is 300 ppb)
Copper 0 ppb
Chromium 13 ppb
Calcium 60 ppm
Magnesium 40 ppm
BIO-INDICATORS (indicate very poor water quality)
Microfibers ++, No zooplankton , no phytoplankton, no algae

Drain to Pumicestone Passage near 1641 Roys Road, July 8th
Lat 26.90160 south
Long 153.07691 east
pH 6.3 (slightly acidic)
EC 7000 uS/cm (very high conductivity due to sea water intrusion)
TDS 4990 ppm (very high Total Dissolved Solids due to sea water intrusion)
Salinity 3.52 ppt 0.35% (brackish water)
D.O. 66% 5.8 mg/L (low oxygen level)
ORP 165 mV
KH 27 ppm (CaCO3 hardness low)
GH 765 ppm (Ca and Mg hardness very high due to sea water intrusion)
low NO3 0 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NH3 0 ppm, PO4 0 ppm (all normal)
sulfate greater than 100 mg/L (very high due to sea water intrusion)
iron at 129 ppb
Copper 200 ppb (marine high reliability trigger value is 1.3 ppb)
Chromium 10 ppb (marine high reliability trigger value is 4.4 ppb)
BIO-INDICATORS (indicate poor water quality)
Microfibers 50 – 100 per ml, Diatoms 0 – 10 per ml, Protists 10 – 50 per ml, Nematodes 10 – 20 per ml, Cryptomonads 100 – 200 per ml, No cyanobacteria, No dinoflagellates, moderate algae

Coochin Creek at The Esplanade, July 8th
Lat 26.89506 south
Long 153.06292 east
pH 7.45
EC 18,000 uS/cm (very high conductivity typical of brackish water)
TDS 10,000 ppm (very high Total Dissolved Solids typical of brackish water)
Salinity 9.04 ppt 0.9% (brackish water)
D.O. 89% 7.7 mg/L
ORP 165 mV
KH 67 ppm (CaCO3 hardness low)
GH extreme high (Ca and Mg hardness very high typical of brackish water)
low NO3 0 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NH3 0 ppm, PO4 0 ppm (all normal)
sulfate greater than 100 mg/L (very high due to sea water intrusion)
low iron at 52 ppb
Copper 0 ppb
BIO-INDICATORS (indicate moderately reduced water quality)
Microfibers 10 – 50 per ml, Protists 10 – 50 per ml, Nematodes 10 – 20 per ml, Cryptomonads 100 – 500 per ml, No cyanobacteria, No dinoflagellates, No copepods, No diatoms, No cyanobacterium

Drain from East of Caloundra Airport, July 23rd
Lat 26.7990373 south
Long 153.1122564 east
pH 7.9
EC 860 uS/cm
TDS 609 ppm
Salinity 0.43 ppt 0.043% (fresh water)
D.O. 95% 8.2 mg/L (shallow drain)
ORP 215 mV
KH 33 ppm (CaCO3 hardness low, fresh rain water)
GH 34 ppm (low Ca/Mg ions, fresh water)
low NO3 0 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NH3 0 ppm, PO4 0 ppm (all normal)
sulfate <20 ppm iron 92 ppb Lead 0 ppb (no water flow from airport parking areas?) Copper 0 ppb Chromium 45 ppb (possible water flow from aircraft maintenance hangars)
BIO-INDICATORS (indicate acceptable water quality with reduced biodiversity)
Microfibers zero, Diatoms 50- 100 per ml, Protists 1 – 5 per ml, Nematodes 1 – 2 per ml, moderate algae, No dinoflagellates

Creek (drains into Lamerough Creek) at Tip site south of Caloundra Airport and adjacent to Road sweeping dump site, July 23rd
Lat 26.8031713 south
Long 153.1133920 East
pH 6.9
EC 1614 uS/cm (very high conductivity due to high level of ions)
TDS 1150 ppm (very high total dissolved solids due to dissolved chemicals)
Salinity 0.81 ppt 0.081% (fresh water)
D.O. 59% 5.1 mg/L (shallow creek)
ORP 174 mV
KH 840 ppm (extreme high carbonate hardness)
GH 816 ppm (extreme high total hardness with high Ca/Mg ions)
NO3 0 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NH3 4 ppm, PO4 1 ppm
sulfate <20 ppm Chloride 100mg/L iron 101 ppb Lead 0 ppb (no water flow from airport?) Copper 0 ppb Chromium 5 ppb Lead 5-10 ppb Extremely High Nickel 180 mg/L or 180,000 ppb (freshwater high reliability trigger value for nickel is 11 ppb) This is 16,000 times higher than the safe level. (see appendix) Aluminium not measured Manganese not measure BIO-INDICATORS (indicate very poor water quality)
No zooplankton , no phytoplankton, no algae, no life (killed by high Nickel level)

Lamerough creek (June 4th vs July 25th values)
Lat 26.8132135 Sth
Long 153.1087048 East
pH June pH 6.4, July 7.2
EC was 115 uS/cm now 142
TDS was 91 ppm, now 120
salinity was 0.06 ppt, 0.006%, now 0.07 ppt, 0.007%
DO was 58%, 5.2 mg/L, same now
KH was 29 ppm (low buffering capacity), now 34 ppm
GH was 17 ppm, (soft water) low Ca and Mg (cations), now 19 ppm
NO3, NO2, NH3, PO4, all near zero as before
iron was 470 ppb (trigger value for iron is 300 ppb), now 494 ppb
Chromium was 15 ppb (trigger value for chromium is 1.0 ppb), now 18 ppb
Lead was >10 ppb (Colloidal Gold Method) (trigger value for lead is 3.4 ppb), now 5 to 10 ppb
Copper now 1 ppb (not done in June)
Sulfate less than 20 mg/L
Nickel not done
Chloride not done
Aluminium not done
BIO-INDICATORS (indicate poor water quality with reduced biodiversity)
Biological indicators show some nematodes and flagellates on microscopy, no copepods, no diatoms, no protists, moderate microalgae

Duckhole creek (drain alongside Pelican Waters Blvd) June 4th vs July 25th
Lat 26.80797 Sth
Long 153.11478 East
pH 6.8 vs 7.35 (normal)
EC 234 uS/cm vs 369 uS/cm (normal)
TDS 177 ppm vs 264 ppm (normal)
salinity 0.14 ppt, 0.014% vs 0.20 ppt, 0.02% (fresh water)
DO 73%, 6.2 mg/L vs 76.4%, 6.9 mg/L (acceptable oxygen in water)
KH 51 ppm vs 69 ppm as carbonate hardness (low dissolved carbonates indicates soft water)
GH 68 ppm vs 85 ppm (low Ca/Mg ions indicates soft water)
low Ca 10 ppm and Mg 16 ppm
Sulfate <20 ppm (low is good) Chloride not done Low NO3 Nitrate 0 ppm, NO2 Nitrite 0 ppm, NH3 Ammonia 0 ppm, PO4 Phosphate 0 ppm (indicates no fertilizer pollution) no change in July readings iron 843 ppb vs 213 (shows reduced iron pollution) Chromium 1 ppb vs 21 (shows increased Chromium pollution) lead 6-9 ppb vs 0 – 5 ppb (reduced lead pollution) Copper July result only 19 ppb (toxic level of Copper, high reliability trigger value for copper is 1.4 µg/L) Nickel 0 ppb Aluminium not done BIO-INDICATORS (indicate very poor water quality) No zooplankton , no phytoplankton, no algae, no life (killed by high Copper level)

Pelican creek south of concrete barrier June 25th vs July 25th
Lat 26.8135953 south
Long 153.1071210 East
pH 7.0 vs 7.1
EC 15960 uS/cm vs 15030 uS/cm (very high electrical conductivity due to sea water intrusion)
TDS 10,000 ppm vs 10,000 (very high total dissolved solutes due to sea water intrusion)
Salinity 8.27 ppt, 0.827% vs 7.52 ppt, 0.75% indicate brackish water
D.O. 76% 6.7 mg/L vs 81%, 6.8 mg/L
ORP 125 mV vs 290 mV
KH 66 ppm vs 74 ppm (low carbonate buffering)
GH 1,600 ppm vs 1,500(extreme Ca/Mg hardness due to sea water intrusion)
Very high Sulfate > 100 ppm vs >100 ppm (due to sea water intrusion)
Chloride 3000 ppm (sea water intrusion)
NO3, NO2, NH3, PO4 all normal low
Iron 562 ppb vs 290 ppb
Chromium (July only) 9 ppb (trigger value for chromium is 1.0 ppb)
Copper (July only) 21 ppb (trigger value for copper is 1.4 ppb)
Lead (July only) >10 ppb (trigger value for Lead in freshwater is 3.4 ppb)
Nickel not done
Aluminium not done
BIO-INDICATORS (indicate very poor water quality)
No zooplankton , no phytoplankton, no algae (due to sea water intrusion and toxic heavy metal pollution)

Pelican creek at Snapping Turtle sign June 25th vs July 25th
Lat 26.8198978 south
Long 153.1017177 East
pH 7.0 vs 7.3
EC 9380 uS/cm vs 9500 uS/cm (very high electrical conductivity due to sea water intrusion)
TDS 6680 ppm vs 6780 ppm (very high electrical conductivity due to sea water intrusion)
Salinity 4.72 ppt, 0.47% vs 4.77 ppt, 0.48% (brackish water)
D.O. 81%, 6.8 mg/L vs 80%, 6.7 mg/L
ORP 328 mV vs 337 mV
KH 61 ppm vs 60 ppm (low carbonate buffering)
GH 935 ppm vs 950 ppm (extreme hardness due to sea water intrusion)
Sulfate > 100 ppm vs > 100 ppm (due to sea water intrusion)
Chloride >3000 ppm (due to sea water intrusion)
NO3, NO2, NH3, PO4 all normal low
Iron 715 ppb vs 420 ppb (freshwater high reliability trigger value for iron is 300 ppb)
Chromium 8 ppb vs 36 ppb (freshwater high reliability trigger value for chromium is 1 ppb)
Copper 0 ppb
Lead (July only) >10 ppb (trigger value for Lead in freshwater is 3.4 ppb)
Nickel not done
Aluminium not done

Drainage channel alongside southern boundary of Caloundra City Private School draining into Pelican Creek June 28th vs July 25th
Lat 26.8247865 south
Long 153.1016124 East
pH 3.7 v 3.2 (extreme acidity) potential to cause skin burns and blindness if splashed into eyes (increased acidity over the month)
EC 417 uS/cm vs 774 uS/cm
TDS 293 ppm vs 550 ppm
salinity 0.21 ppt, 0.021% (freshwater) vs 0.39 ppt, 0.04%
D.O 74% 6.6 mg/L vs 64%, 5.6 mg/L (low oxygen despite shallow water)
ORP 400 mV vs 522 (high REDOX due to acid oxidizing capacity)
KH (CaCO3 hardness) 0 ppm vs 0 ppm, CaCO3 and HCO3 has been oxidized to CO2 due to acid
GH 90 ppm vs 107 ppm (Ca/Mg low, no evidence of limestone added to acid in water)
NO3, NO2, NH3, PO4 all normal low
Sulfate >100 ppm vs >100 ppm (unchanged)
Chloride 40 ppm
Chromium 0 ppb vs 24 ppb (increased to toxic level)
Copper 75 ppb vs 10 ppb (freshwater high reliability trigger value is 1.4 ppb)
Iron 2540 ppb vs 3200 ppb (freshwater high reliability trigger value for iron is 300 ppb)
Lead 0-5 ppb vs 0 – 5 ppb
Nickel not done
Aluminium not done
Biological indicators show total lack of macro and micro invertebrates and no sign of biological life including flora and fauna.

APPENDIX
Freshwater guideline Nickel
For freshwater guideline derivation, only the chronic nickel data that were linked to pH and hardness measurements were considered and further screened. This reduced the dataset to just 18 data points covering seven species and four taxonomic groups. Geometric means of NOEC equivalents are reported below, after conversion to a uniform hardness of 30 mg/L CaCO3. The pH range was 6.3 to 7.7.
Fish: four species, 13.7 µg/L (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to 151 µg/L, (Micropterus salmoides). The lowest experimental chronic figure, (after hardness correction) was a 28-day LC50 of 18.5 µg/L for O. mykiss.
Amphibian: one species, Ambystoma opacum, 31 µg/L, from 8-day LC50.
Crustacean: one species, D. magna, 13.5 µg/L, from 5 to 30-day EC50. Lowest experimental chronic figure (after hardness correction) was 67 µg/L.
Mollusc: one species, Juga plicifera, 39.5 µg/L. An experimental NOEC of 69 µg/L was reported.
A freshwater high reliability trigger value of 11 µg/L was calculated for nickel using the statistical distribution method at 95% protection. This applies to low hardness waters, 30 mg/L as CaCO3.
Marine guideline Nickel
Chronic data (34 points) after screening covered five taxonomic groups, as follows (reported as no observed effect concentration [NOEC] equivalents and geometric means of end-points and species). Several low figures (< 200 µg/L) were screened out, mainly because end-points were not reported. Fish: one species, Fundulus heteroclitus, 30 000 µg/L from 7-day LC50.
Crustaceans: four species, 141 µg/L (36-day chronic mortality, Mysidopsis bahia, Gentile et al. 1982) and 160 µg/L (Portunus pelagicus: from 42-day maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC) growth of 320 µg/L) to 6000 µg/L from 5 to 8-day LC50.
Echinoderm: one species, Asteria forbesi, 2600 µg/L from 7-d LC50.
Mollusc: five species, 240 (Crassostrea virginica; from 12-day LC50 of 1200 µg/L) to 450,000 µg/L from 7 to 12-day LC50.
Annelid: two species, 1540 to 5000 µg/L, from 7-day LC50.
Algae: one species, Nitzschia closterium 50 µg/L, from 5-day EC50 growth (Australian data).