ACT Water Quality Monitoring Data for Lakes and Rivers (2015-2025)

Water quality monitoring program operated by the ACT Government from 2015 to 2025, with sampling conducted 6-8 times annually at 21 locations. The dataset includes 28 measured physical, chemical, and biological parameters, with latitude, longitude, date, time, and hydrological state information recorded for each sample.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in 28 physical/chemical and biological parameters across 21 sampling locations to assess long-term water health.
• Model relationships between in-situ probe measurements (pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature) and derived hydrological state variables (gauge flow, gauge height).
• Spatially map water quality using provided latitude and longitude coordinates for major rivers, creeks, and urban lakes.
• Investigate seasonal variations by correlating sample date/time with analyte measurements taken from surface, bottom, or depth-integrated samples.

Strengths

• Covers a 10-year monitoring period from 2015 to 2025, providing longitudinal data.
• Includes 28 distinct water quality parameters, offering a multi-faceted view of water health.
• Sampling occurs 6-8 times per year at 21 fixed locations, ensuring regular temporal coverage.

Limitations

• Data may contain values outside limits of detection, indicated by '<' or '>' symbols, requiring interpretation.
• The dataset description notes that data cleansing and validation may be required for specific use cases.
• Sample size per location per year is limited to 6-8 observations, which may restrict high-frequency temporal analysis.

Provenance

Source

ACT Government, Climate Change, Energy and Water.

Collection Method

Manual water sampling and in-situ digital probe measurements by a NATA-accredited laboratory, with hydrological data derived from the ACT hydrometric network.

Time Range

2015 – 2025 inclusive.

Freshness

Data is updated with ongoing monitoring; the metadata was last updated in March 2026.

Geography

20 locations in the Australian Capital Territory and one location in Burrinjuck Reservoir.