September 13, 2020, 9:00 pm
Photos from Watergum's post Most of our winter Waterbugs results are in and they show that the majority of our testing sites are showing mild pollution levels which is consistent with this time of year. A number of things can affect water quality and cause pollution. When waters' are shallow and temperatures are warm, minerals and salts seep from rocks, altering water composition. Increased sediment from agriculture, land-clearing or flooding can reduce dissolved oxygen levels. Oxygen levels can also be affected by weeds which choke the water as well as shading and killing native vegetation. Chemical pollutants enter the waterways from sources such as irresponsible farming, industry, roads and even irresponsible swimmers who are wearing sun-block, insect repellent, perfumes and creams.
You can see on the graph that some of our sites are healthier than others. We often see irregularly fluctuating and poor results at Long Tan Park in Currumbin and Lions Park in Tallebudgera that don't correspond with seasonal change so we suspect that unnatural factors are negatively impacting the water quality at these sites.
Waterways are incredibly resilient and even the most putrid waterbodies can make spectacular recoveries with just a little bit of help and care from us. To learn more about waterway health, come along to our next Waterbugs or Water Quality session which are all posted in our upcoming events section. ... See more