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The ultimate aim of the LSC Project is to restore the health of the stream ecosystem by reducing the impacts from stormwater throughout the catchment. We are measuring progress towards this goal through a rigorous monitoring program. As well as monitoring of the individual stormwater control measures, monitoring is undertaken in the mainstem of the creek as well as in its three tributaries (North, South and Middle):

Flows (hydrology) are measured continuously
Water quality (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and suspended sediment) is measured on a monthly basis as well as during at least 12 storm events per year
A range of ecological indicators (macroinvertebrates, fish, algal & diatom assemblages, algal biomass and leaf breakdown rates)

The LSC project has been designed as a Before-After-Control-Reference-Impact (BACRI) experiment. This means that any trends in the LSC are compared to three control streams (ie. urbanised catchments similar to LSC but without the intervention works) and three near-pristine reference streams (ie. catchments not impacted by urbanisation). The hypothesis is that LSC will become more like the reference streams and less like the urbanised control streams.

The monitoring commenced in 2001, prior to the start of the Little Stringybark Creek project (thus giving us powerful “before” data). Monitoring is currently funded principally by the Australian Research Council (Project LP130100295) until December 2015. We aim to attract funding to continue this monitoring in order to properly track the restoration trajectory.