Case Studies
 Kingston Groundwater
Guardians
Monitoring Site
Groundwater bores. Kingston SE region
(South East Catchment)
Information about the group
Kingston Community College has been
involved in the Waterwatch program since 1997 and monitors 8 times
a year at 30 bores in the local area. The location of these bores
spans an area that is 40km to the north, 40km to the east and 30km
to the south-east of Kingston. Bores were originally monitored for
EC and pH levels, however due to difficulties in taking pH readings,
this parameter was eliminated.
Since 1997 over 10 bores have been
consistently monitored for EC levels (or salinity). Of the bores
monitored only one is an irrigation bore, with the remaining being
used for stock or domestic supplies. A large variation in groundwater
EC levels has been found in the region, with the lowest recorded
reading being 260EC and the highest over 5000EC. In the future,
monitoring will include recording depth to the water table to look
at the correlation between water table depth and salinity levels
in the region.
 Why they got involved
in Waterwatch
The college got involved in Waterwatch
for educational and environmental purposes. The school has established
their own database, and following data collection, students enter
data into the database themselves. By allowing the students to take
part in collecting and using the data, they have learnt that the
Kingston community relies heavily on groundwater as their water
source. As a result, there is a wide range of interest from the
community in the quality of groundwater and how it has changed over
time.
Achievements or activities
Achievements
- In 2001, Kingston Community College
teacher and dedicated Waterwatcher, Allan Coote was awarded the
inaugural South East Catchment Water Management Board Community
award for his outstanding contribution to water conservation in
the South East.
- The school has been involved
in a number of successful revegetation projects:
- In partnership with the
Soil Board, the school has revegetated an area at Cattle Station
Creek.
- Roadside planting along
Maria Creek on the outskirts of Kingston.
- Coastcare activities at
Robe including a dune stabilisation project.
 Activities
- Monitoring eight times a year
at 30 bores in the Kingston region.
- Monitoring a site along Maria
Creek collecting information on EC, pH, turbidity, phosphate,
nitrate and aquatic invertebrate diversity during Waterwatch snapshot
weeks.
- Participating in the Saltwatch
program every year since its inception in South Australia.
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