1. NSW Water Bug Survey Gunnedah High School Year 8 Science 1 & 2 with Miss Scholberg & Miss Feodoroff

2. Warrumbungle EEC On behalf of the year 8 group that went down to the Namoi river on the 26 th of October 2011, we would like to thank Meg Leathart; who is the principal of the Warrumbungle Environmental Education Centre. We could not have done it without her generosity with lending us her equipment and her insight on the bugs at the river.

3. Our Aim -To survey the amount of bugs and what type of bug they were. -To compare the Namoi river now, to past surveys and - expeditions. -To take a sample of the pollution in the water and compare it to past tests.

4. Study Site The location of this expedition was at the Namoi River, Cohen’s Bridge, Gunnedah NSW

5. Equipment Bucket Net Sorting tray Magnifying glass Water bug detective guide Field record sheet

6. Personal Protection Gum boots or in-closed shoes Hat Sunscreen Long pants

7. Collecting Samples We used the bug detective guide to identify collected bugs. Then we recorded the information on the field record sheet.

8. Pools and runs Fast moving water currents that went in most directions strong water flow. The water was calmer underneath trees and near the water banks.

9. Water Types and Methods RIFFLES – Cool shallow areas of water that have a rocky bottom with fast flowing water and multiple currents with high oxygen levels. METHOD – Shuffle feet into the bottom of the river and catch the bugs that come out of the dirt or place net in the flow of the fast running water and catch the bugs that follow the water. EDGEWATER – Emergent plants with overhanging branches, (which slightly enter the water) and roots in and around the water banks.

10. Identifying & Counting Samples To identify the bugs, use the Bug Detective Guide. We counted our bugs and tallied them. From this we went to the Pollution Index.

11. Results Pollution ToleranceBug Type Sensitivity Rating (SR) Number of bugs found (#) Weight Factor (WF) SR x WF Very sensitive Mayfly nymph914436 Tolerant Beetle larva5115 Dragonfly nymph4114 Water strider4114 Whirligig beetle & larva4164 Damselfly nymph3113 Fly larva & pupa3113 Freshwater mussel3326 Freshwater shrimp3124 Very tolerant Diving beetle2636 Water boatman244510 Freshwater worm2112 Bloodworm1111 TOTALS:10229108

12. Stream Pollution Index What the SPI score means: SPIStream Quality Rating <3Poor 3 to 4Fair 4 to 6Good >6Excellent We calculate the stream pollution index by Total (SR x WF) Total WF SPI = 108 29 = 3.7