.png)
Hi everyone
Please find attached the results for sampling for January, 2024.
I thank Helen, Ross, and Brian for their unselfish contribution to the work of sampling, year in, year. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
In respect of the results I offer the following:
There has been a significant amount of damage to banks of the rivers and streams in the area, which the exception of the waterways in Nerang and Pimpama. In other waterways the amount of damage to bankside vegetation has been significant, nowhere more so that in Wongawallan Creek. That stream has seen large trees uprooted, and the formation of what is called “beaver dams” where the stream is blocked to the extent that water builds up and flows around the obstruction causing flooding on nearby properties. Extermination of bankside cover is complete and permits the access by cane toads to breed, with hatchings of thousands of “toadlets” as a regular occurrence; in other words a potential environmental disaster. Only time will tell the magnitude of the disaster.
The results of the Horiba readings themselves are within normal bounds, including the turbidity readings which result from excessive sediment.
Of greater interest perhaps are the Chemical Analyses which generally show higher readings, in some cases, for both Phosphorous and Ammonia Nitrogen; despite the larger than normal flow in the waterways there are still higher levels of both chemical in some waterways. This points to increased inflow of nutrients resulting no doubt from an increased population. Given the urban footprint is increasing there is not much doubt our waterways will come under increasing pressure in coming years.
After Waterhen Lake was sampled I had a walk around the lake and found a dead eel of significant proportions – some 1.4 metres long and 125mm across the head. It would probably weigh around 20lb. on the old scale. No damage was visible, just a grand animal no longer living in our waterway. As eels do not migrate to sea until between 14 and 20 years of age, it could simply have reached the end of its natural life.
A number of Macroinvertebrate samples have been taken; whilst these have generally been in the healthy range they are somewhat less than say three years ago, despite the amount of rainfall. In the Coomera River water levels were higher than normal making access quite difficult. Sampling will resume as soon as river levels are appropriate to sample.
Kind regards to you all
Steven Gill
Comments