WIMMERA Catchment Management Authority believes the Wimmera River is under great stress in the dry conditions, with one section of the river almost twice as salty as seawater, and at least 30 per cent of the river now dry. 

The Mail-Times has found:

The salinity is steadily increasing as highly saline ground water flows directly into the river. 

‘‘The average salinity of a pool at Jeparit Museum had an electrical conductivity of 79,250 EC in November, it peaked at over 100,000 at the start of December, and a sample taken yesterday recorded 117,000. Seawater is 58,000 EC,’’ waterways manager Elyse Riethmuller said.

‘‘The site often expels strong odours caused by anaerobic bacteria, which are thriving in this super saline environment. 

‘‘It will linger while wet sediments are exposed to the air,’’ she said. 

Jeparit newsagent Eric Altmann lives beside the river. He said the odour had been likened to rotten egg gas. ‘‘Because I have a deep pool in front of my house, I rarely smell it,’’ he said. 

‘‘But the smell depends on the wind direction, and I often notice it when I drive between the area from Jeparit to the Nhill Road bridge,’’ he said. 

Ms Riethmuller said river redgums were also casualties. 

‘‘They are dying due to the high salinity in the lower Wimmera River, from Jeparit to the Wirrengren Plain, with the gums downstream of Dimboola also highly stressed due to a lack of flow for consecutive years,’’ she said. 

Mr Altmann said there were dead trees in and around the river. 

‘‘The river is in the worst condition I have ever seen,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s virtually a stagnant pool of water, so salty that nothing’s growing in it, or living in it except for the odd tortoise. ‘‘The bottom of the river has gone from a sandy base to black mud, and the smell can be quite unpleasant at times.’’ 

The catchment authority believes the river also faces a high risk of blue green algal blooms during summer. 

Blooms form when the water is relatively still, nutrient levels are high and temperatures remain warm. The blooms can be toxic to animals and humans. 

‘‘Should anyone notice an algal bloom in the river they should report it to GWMWater,’’ Ms Riethmuller said.

The catchment authority has received feedback from community residents concerned about the longterm health of the river, and believes the issue of halted environmental flows remain a topical and political issue within the community.

‘‘The flows were aimed at providing drought refuges for the fish and bugs that live in the Wimmera River,’’ Ms Riethmuller said.

‘‘Without these flows, the ability of some plants and animals to survive is being tested.’’

Horsham Angling Club treasurer Laurie Lister said he was disappointed to see the environmental flows cancelled late last year, but appreciated the decision to reserve the water for emergencies.

Having fished the river for more than 30 years, he has tracked the progress of the river in the dry conditions.

‘‘There aren’t as many fishing spots along the river because the water has dried right back,’’ Mr Lister said.

Despite the low water and fewer fishing spots, Mr Lister said the first twilight fishing event for 2007 reaped a plentiful return, including murray cod, catfish, carp, redfin, yellowbelly and even an eel.

‘‘But the current number of fish isn’t anywhere close to the number when I arrived in Horsham 33 years ago,’’ he said.

Reflecting on previous dry times, Mr Lister said the river had handled worse conditions in the past decade.

‘‘I’ve seen it drier than this before, when the river was almost dry from the end of Baillie Street to Bennett Road. People even played cricket in the river bed.’’

Both Mr Lister and Mr Altmann live in hope of a major storm to flush the river and replenish the ecosystem.

‘‘A big storm with 25 to 30 millimetres of rain would raise the river about 30 centimetres,’’ Mr Lister said.

Mr Altmann: ‘‘We’ve just got to keep our fingers crossed that it will rain, the pipeline will go in, and we will get environmental flows in the future.’’

The Jeparit businessman said a flowing river would not just benefit the environment and bolster nearby lakes, but it would boost district businesses.

‘‘There used to be about 800 people holidaying at Lake Hindmarsh every Christmas and Easter. The lack of tourism has taken a big slice of my business, and many other businesses have also suffered over the years, from the pub to the petrol station,’’ Mr Altmann said.

‘‘Tourists used to account for nearly a third of my business, but I’ve gradually diversified to compensate for this.’’

While waiting for the muchanticipated rains to arrive, district landowners are using the dry spell to fence sections of the river with grants from the catchment authority.

‘‘These fencing works will enable landowners to actively manage stock grazing, which in turn helps the vegetation on the stream banks to reestablish and for water quality to improve,’’ Ms Riethmuller said.

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