1 / 52

“What’s Happening to the Yarra River?” by Rod Ingham, Yarra Riverkeeper Association

“What’s Happening to the Yarra River?” by Rod Ingham, Yarra Riverkeeper Association. Arthur & Jess’s lounge suite. Yarra Riverkeeper Association Inc. “Working together to protect and enjoy the Yarra ”. Yarra Riverkeepers at work. The boat “ Yarra Riverkeeper ”.

channing-vega
Download Presentation

“What’s Happening to the Yarra River?” by Rod Ingham, Yarra Riverkeeper Association

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. “What’s Happening to the Yarra River?”by Rod Ingham, Yarra Riverkeeper Association

  2. Arthur & Jess’s lounge suite

  3. Yarra Riverkeeper Association Inc “Working together to protect and enjoy the Yarra”

  4. Yarra Riverkeepers at work

  5. The boat “Yarra Riverkeeper” Launch by Acting Premier Thwaites,13 January 2006

  6. Supported by Meeting river users

  7. The Network of Waterkeepers Australia Sir William Deane, patron of Waterkeepers Australia Yarra Riverkeepers is a member of Waterkeepers Australia

  8. The Yarra River (main stem) Sugarloaf Reservoir Upper Yarra Reservoir Mt Gregory Warrandyte Melbourne Warburton

  9. Yarra facts • Length 242 km • 49 tributaries • 4,000 sq km catchment area • Valley embraces 25 km of parkland from Wonga Park to Kew including 13 golfcourses • Melbourne’s largest green wedge • Refuge for many plants and animals

  10. Tall Mountain Ash trees in Yarra catchment

  11. Upper Yarra Reservoir

  12. The “Yarra” at base of Upper Yarra Dam

  13. Thediminishingriver • Total river flows in the last 12 months were only 19% of the average over the last 40 years (given that water extraction was occurring through this period) • Total river flows in the last 12 months were only 11% of average natural volume over the last 40 years

  14. WATER FACTS • 1. Before extraction (i.e. harvesting via reservoirs, dams, direct pumping) the Yarra’s average naturalflow volume in 1963 - 2003 was 804 Gl (billion litres) annually (at Warrandyte). • 2. After extractionYarra’s average actual flow volume across 1963 -2003 was 474 Gl annually at Warrandyte. Residents, businesses and rural users were together responsible for removing 59% of the river’s average natural flow. • 3. Before restrictions, Melbourne used 500 Gl of water annually from all sources (380 Gl last year). 70% came from the Yarra catchment. • 4. Approx. 500Gl of rain currently falls across the city annually. Only a fraction of stormwater from downpipes, roads etc. is captured for use. • 5. Yarra flow volume in 2008 at Warrandyte averaged 250Ml/day , = 91.2 Gl/yr. This represents 19% of its 40 yr average (after water harvesting) and 11% of its 40 yr average natural flow (i.e. before water harvesting).

  15. Yarra River near McMahons Ck

  16. Warburton

  17. Warrandyte

  18. The rare Rosella Spider orchid

  19. Painters of the Yarra

  20. Yarra Bend

  21. Australian Grayling

  22. Macquarie Perch

  23. Dights Falls, Collingwood

  24. Egret

  25. Main Yarra Trail

  26. Lower Yarra

  27. The Yarra in the city

  28. The mouth of the Yarra

  29. Current health of the Yarra and tributaries (37% is in poor or very poor condition!) Factors: water flows, channel form, vegetation, water quality, aquatic life Source: Melbourne’s Rivers and Creeks 2004

  30. Litter 1 April 2006

  31. Sewage leaking into Hawthorn Main Drain (Melbourne Water staff)

  32. X = unsafe for swimming X X X X X X X X X X EPA website Faecal pollution2006/7 average (Mar 06 to Feb 07 geometric mean) 335 Healesville 334 Coldstream Templestowe 165 Heidelberg 260 95Warrandyte 202 Millgrove Abbotsford 201 269 Launching Place 329 Kew Southgate 331 506South Yarra 354 Docklands (numbers are E.coli organisms/100mL)

  33. X = unsafe for boating X X X X X X EPA website Faecal pollution 13 June 2007 740 Healesville 570 Coldstream Templestowe 430 Heidelberg 1400 110 Warrandyte 350 Millgrove Abbotsford 1700 460 Launching Place Southgate 1600 1000 Kew “It is not acceptable to have raw human sewage in the river of a modern city.” Yarra Riverkeepers 1500 South Yarra 3100 Docklands

  34. STORM WATER Rain falling on our roofs and pavements washes contaminants directly into the river Photo of pollution (broken water main?) Abbotsford - 29 December 2006

  35. Yarra Bend

  36. A city is built one house at a time

  37. A city is built one house at a time

  38. Annual water extraction is capped at 400,000,000,000 litres But current extraction averages 320,000,000,000 litres! So more water can be taken.That means Yarra has even less! Depleting the river further is NOT a sustainable water strategy.

  39. Pattern of Flow in a Healthy River

  40. Very low flows Exposed habitat Templestowe, February 2007

  41. Yarra needs improved flows to be healthy (says government study) So Yarra given an environmental entitlement (17 GL/y) to improve flow pattern But this entitlement has been deferred until drought over! Sacrificing the Yarra’s health is NO WAY to manage the drought.

  42. A great way to enjoy the Yarra

  43. Laurie and Peg write poetry about their beloved Yarra

  44. The Long Yarra Walkers and the Long Yarra Quilt

More Related