New research will begin soon to determine the cause of Tooma River pollution.

“The whole aim of the research is to help rehabilitate the Tooma River.”

“We need to prove or disprove the source of pollution. If the Deep Creek waste-rock dump is the source, the knowledge will strengthen the case for remediation at the dump. Some options for site remediation have already been outlined.’ John Harris, Senior Ecologist with the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology said today.

“The available data suggest that the fish-kills may be caused by the old waste-rock dump on Deep Creek” he said. ’‘Samples over a two-over a two-year period show there have been episodic fish-kills in the main stem of the river and water-quality changes are associated with the fish kills.”

‘We will test whether the dump is releasing toxic substances (toxicants) after local heavy rainfall, causing downstream mortality of fish and other aquatic life. The most likely toxicants are acid drainage and metals, some of which are toxic to aquatic animals even in extremely low concentrations.

Water from the Snowy Scheme will be used to simulate rainfall over part of the dump. Biological and chemical responses will be monitored in the stream adjacent to the site.” Dr Harris said.

“I would like to stress to the community that the study will mimic the reactions that occur naturally during rainfall, and have been occurring for the past ten years or sofor fifteen years or more. And it will be on a much-reduced scale, involving only a part of the dump. We will also provide large-scale dilution of the flows passing down Deep Creek by releasing water from Tooma Dam during and after the experiment.” Dr Harris said.

“The study will also consider the larger relevance of this kind of pollution” he said. “There are thousands of old waste-rock and mining sites through south-eastern Australia and reports of disturbed ecology in rivers downstream of a number of these places.”

Dr Harris will explain the research study at a public meeting on Tuesday 17th April 2001 at the Tooma Hall, starting at 7pm. All interested people welcome.

The research is a joint study with the NSW Environment Protection Authority, the Department of Land and Water Conservation, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority. It is funded by the FishRehab Program of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australia as well as the participants.


Vision available

Digital still images of researchers working in Deep Creek with the dump in the background; various views of the dump.

For interviews contact Dr John Harris (mobile) 0409 952 528

For media assistance, call Lynne Sealie on 02 6201 2109 or 02 6201 5168; email: lsealie@enterprise.canberra.edu.au