The cause was poor water quality — an ongoing issue for Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
In a free and public webinar on April 20, MDBA head honchos sat down and discussed water quality threats and upcoming concerns.
MDBA water quality director Asitha Katupitiya made specific mention of the January-February 2021 Hume Dam event, which he said was a direct result of bushfires.
“In the 2019-20 fires, 56 per cent of the Upper Murray catchment burned. In certain areas it was worse,” Dr Katupitiya said.
The Corryong Creek catchment, for example, was 92 per cent burnt.
When heavy rain hit in January and February 2021, ash and debris flooded High Country waterways. The early 2021 rain event has also contributed to poor water quality in areas such as the Darling.
MDBA acting chief executive Andrew Reynolds said the first major rain events following dry periods were always “particularly poor” and this poor water would soon be hitting the system.
“As (the Darling water) reaches the Menindee Lakes, WaterNSW will try to dilute the poor water quality by mixing with their better quality water,” Mr Reynolds said.
The team also touched on the science behind algae blooms, black water events and salinity.
Currently the MBDA runs salt interception schemes along the Murray where bores pump out salty underground water.
The closest bores are in Kerang, followed by Mildura, before a cluster between Renmark and Morgan in SA.
The April 20 water webinar is to be followed by a far more controversial webinar in a few weeks’ time — this time focusing on how water is shared in the southern basin and the logic of the Murray-Darling Basin agreement.
Visit mdba.gov.au/webinars to view.
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