Monitoring the effectiveness of cold water pollution mitigation at Burrendong Dam; changes in temperature, algae and nutrients over 3 years of management

Project Member(s): Mitrovic, S.

Funding or Partner Organisation: NSW Fisheries
NSW Department of Primary Industries (New South Wales Office of Water)

Start year: 2015

Summary: Burrendong Dam on the Macquarie River has been identified as a high priority for mitigating Cold Water Pollution in the NSW Government's Cold Water Pollution Mitigation Strategy. The owner/operator of the dam, State Water Corporation (SWC), has developed a design for a suspended, geotextile curtain to enclose the existing outlet tower to enable warm surface waters to be released through the dam to the river. Such a design has never been attempted in Australia. Desk top evaluation and early (one summer) data collection suggests the suspended curtain can achieve significant mitigation of cold water pollution in the Macquarie River. This is at a considerably lower cost than redesigning and remodelling the outlet tower. Further information is needed on its effectiveness under actual operating conditions. This project will monitor, model and analyse the temperature changes as a result of the curtains installation over a period of 3 years (data collection for 2 years) and will assess the effectiveness of the suspended curtain option for cold water pollution amelioration. Biological measures of response are not within the scope of this project due to the limited budget except for algae.

Publications:

Michie, LE, Thiem, JD, Boys, CA & Mitrovic, SM 2020, 'Erratum to: The effects of cold shock on freshwater fish larvae and early-stage juveniles: implications for river management', Conservation Physiology, vol. 8, no. 1, p. coaa106.
View/Download from: Publisher's site

Keywords: Cold water pollution, rivers, water quality, algae

FOR Codes: Environmental Monitoring, Land and Water Management of environments not elsewhere classified, Pollution and contamination, Other environmental management not elsewhere classified

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.