1.5.2.1 Surface water

Due to the unreliability of surface water flows in the Arckaringa subregion, existing surface water quality information focuses mainly on the water quality of some near-permanent waterholes. The surface water quality of waterholes in the Neales-Peake river basin varies considerably, from relatively fresh to hypersaline. Miles et al. (2015) noted that the waterholes in the Neales-Peake river basin can generally be divided into two groups, namely:

  • waterholes that are saline and flushed only during major flow events
  • waterholes that are mostly fresh, and may gradually increase in salinity due to evapotranspiration during periods of no flow.

Further information about surface water quality is outlined in companion product 1.1 for the Arckaringa subregion (Miles et al. 2015). Wohling et al. (2013) also summarised information about the surface water quality of the Arckaringa subregion.

Surface water quality data is relatively sparse for the Arckaringa subregion. Most of the available data can be sourced from the South Australian Government Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) WaterConnect website (DEWNR, 2015).

Last updated:
11 October 2018