Angela Baker and Bronwyn Witts: Namoi River
Bottle number: 34
About the water
Collected at: Namoi River, 'Wintergreen', Come By Chance, NSW
E: 636552, N: 6657778
Collected by: Angela Baker and Bronwyn Witts, Namoi CMA [Catchment Management Authority]
Namoi CMA has a permanent water sampling monitoring station set up on the site. It has been operating for 18 months.
Water quality:
| Turbidity: | 400 |
| pH: | 7 |
| Salinity: | 100µs/cm |
Temperature: 25 degrees Celsius
Salinity levels at the site are below expected levels. Recent rains and a dam release further down the system may account for the low readings.
ACT Waterwatch says:
It's great to see so much work is going on to control erosion, because the crazy high turbidity is screaming that it needs to be done. Storms in the area lately may be making this look worse than it usually is.
Usually, turbidity is elevated after a storm event, but it should never go this high in a healthy system. One can see the exposed banks in the upper left of the photograph and the turbidity.
About the site
Approx 30m strip of River Red Gum community along the river bank (approx 30 per cent canopy cover), strip separates a crop from the river. Community has a mix of lignum. Opposite bank has a lot more vegetation.
What's going on:
Erosion in places, earthworks to control erosion, revegetation will follow earthworks.
As mentioned previously, permanent water sampling station includes analysis of pesticides.