Good quality water
Goal: Protect the quality of surface, ground, coastal and marine waters from pollution by monitoring water quality, advising and regulating industry and supporting water quality improvement projects.
State of the Environment South Australia 2013 observations:
- The quality of water in rivers and streams has generally improved as a result of increased rainfall.
- The extent and condition of aquatic ecosystems are variable, with many in fair to poor condition, and a few in good or very good condition.
- Groundwater use, levels and quality (including contamination in some areas remain an issue.
- Salinity levels in the main channel of the River Murray are stable, and those in Lake Albert have decreased.
- The quality of treated water released into coastal waters has improved.
- The quality of coastal and maine waters is improving.
- Coastal and marine ecosystem extent, condition and diversity are variable and declining.
Key achievements for 2013–14 include:
First release of nearshore marine aquatic ecosystem condition reports
The EPA is contributing to providing high-quality scientific information about water quality through a program for monitoring and assessing the ecological conditions of rivers, lakes and coastal waters. In 2013–14, the first set of aquatic ecosystem condition reports for the nearshore marine environments were released for South Australia.
The reports summarised the ecological condition of nine marine areas in Gulf St Vincent and Lower Spencer Gulf, based on monitoring data collected between 2010 and 2012. The reports assess the condition of aquatic ecosystems including data on water quality, habitats and plant and animal communities; provide a quick summary of ecosystem information; and offer more detailed ecological science for those interested. The reports also outline the key pressures that are causing impacts and management responses that are in place to address those pressures.
The reports are available on the EPA website or Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources’ WaterConnect.
Protecting the ocean environment for premium seafood1
A Federal Government funding of $2 million has supported the development of a water quality improvement plan for Adelaide’s coastal waters.
The seagrass and reef environments along South Australia’s coastal and marine areas are important feeding grounds and nurseries for our premium fish and seafood, so maintaining good water quality is paramount.
The EPA employs the latest science to maintain and improve South Australia’s marine environment.
Community and stakeholder input and feedback has been central to the release of the Adelaide Coastal Water Quality Improvement Plan, designed to bring seagrass meadows closer to the shores of metropolitan beaches by 2050.
1 Adapted from article published in Primary Industries and Regions SA Premium Food and Wine News, August 2013.
Contributing to the effective closure of Dry Creek salt fields
The EPA continued to play an active role in the across-government Strategic Technical Advisory Group (STAG) regarding the closure of the Ridley Corporation salt fields. The STAG is led by the Department for State Development (DSD), formerly Department for Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy (DMITRE) and includes the EPA, DEWNR, DPTI, SA Water and the Ridley Corporation.
The group first met on 16 September 2013 to discuss an appropriate management approach and short- and medium-term measures to manage the significant environment risks associated with closure of the salt fields, with the EPA providing advice on the holding pattern to manage environmental risk while closure plans are progressed. The EPA subsequently assessed Ridley Corporation’s ‘change of process’ application and varied its EPA licence to permit a saline discharge of salt water via SA Water’s Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant discharge channel. This licence variation incorporated conditions to manage the risks of acid sulfate soils and monosulfidic material, odours and dust. Joint regulatory inspections by the EPA and DSD will continue on a monthly basis.
Targets set for the ongoing monitoring of Lake Bonney
Lake Bonney is a large coastal lake about 10 km south of Millicent, and has been extensively altered and impacted by various discharges into its waters for over 70 years.
One of the EPA’s early tasks in the 1990s was to work with dischargers to improve the water quality of Lake Bonney. Water quality at the time was so impaired that it was removed from tourist maps of the South East. With improving water quality, it has been timely to develop community agreed environmental values for the lake. These provide confidence for both dischargers and the community that the lake will move towards an agreed range of supported uses.
Following community consultation and scientific assessment, environmental values and water quality objectives have now been developed for the community to comment on later this year. A key outcome of the process has been the community ‘re-discovering’ the lake, with local enthusiasm for gaining maximum economic and social use of the lake and its environs. With the support of the EPA, the lake was reopened for human-powered craft in October 2013, and the South East Natural Resources Management Board plans to develop a revised management plan for the lake in 2015. Recent scientific investigations of Lake Bonney fish, such as mullet, have shown they are now suitable for human consumption.
The EPA has been working with the licensees that discharge wastewater to Lake Bonney to develop licence conditions and discharge limits for wastewater to assist with improving water quality in the lake. In particular, the EPA has spent a significant amount of time liaising with management from Kimberly–Clark Australia Pulp and Paper Mill near Millicent, who have been operating under a 50-year indenture that expires in October 2014.
‘Lake Bonney [is] an important environmental and community asset’. – Frank Brennan, Presiding Member South East Natural Resources Management Board, South Eastern Times 13 March 2014.
Greywater treated before entering the River Murray
Since the introduction of the Code of practice for vessel and facility management (marine and inland waters) in 2008, the EPA has been working with the boating community to help inland vessel owners become compliant with the code of practice, by installing greywater management systems. In July 2013, owners of the heritage-listed paddle steamer Murray Princess, the largest commercial vessel on the Murray at 67 metres and 1 500 tonnes, installed a wastewater management system to manage greywater for its 120 passengers in 60 cabins. The operators have opted to treat approximately 20 000 litres of greywater per day and return water to the river, reducing their human impact and minimising pollution to the environment.
Launch of beach alerts to help keep our community safe
Water quality can be impacted by rainfall that flushes stormwater into the sea leaving discoloured water, especially around drains. Use of real-time information about when it is not safe to swim in Adelaide coastal beach waters was launched by the EPA, and is now available online to the public, via email alerts and through Twitter. The beaches being monitored are from Semaphore in the north to Noarlunga in the south.
Successful trial flush of Torrens Lake
The EPA was part of a proactive strategy to ‘flush’ very low levels of blue-green algae from the Torrens Lake during the 2013–14 summer period, to reset the lake’s nutrient status and algae community, without discharging blue-green algae to the coast. This included EPA beach water advice and alerts during times of flushing. The project was led by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board, together with the EPA, DEWNR, Adelaide City Council and SA Water.