Water quality after the storms

[Yacker]

Might pay to be a bit carefull after all the flooding on the weekend. E.coli levels will be extreme, the sewage system is likley to have had significant issues which may have resulted in overflows into the waterways; thats to say nothing of all the crap that will have ben washed overland.

If getting on the water avoid getting water on your face, or anywhere near your mouth. Have a good wash after getting off the water. I wont be keeping any fish in the short term due to the risk of contamination from the water (the fish itself is likley ok, issue is the water it's swimming in is suss)

Stay safe, you dont need a bout of gastro

[maverick]

Interestingly enough had a quick paddle this morning and the water out near the mussel farm was really quite clear, surprised me. Understand that doesn't mean it can't contain nasties, but it was still relatively clear - however it was the top of the tide.

[gom]

...... I wont be keeping any fish in the short term due to the risk of contamination from the water (the fish itself is likley ok, issue is the water it's swimming in is suss)......

How long before you'll consider keepers

[Mustafa]

Just paddle out from shore a fair way and you should be right

[Yacker]

http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/BeachReport/

Might pay to wait at least 48 hours, or untill the EPA water quality is better than "fair".
Thats my personal view only,
Still a huge amount of water pouring out of Patterson River, and same with the Yarra; some of this water may be a bit suss....

[bilby]

http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/BeachReport/

Might pay to wait at least 48 hours, or untill the EPA water quality is better than "fair".
Thats my personal view only,
Still a huge amount of water pouring out of Patterson River, and same with the Yarra; some of this water may be a bit suss....

Its a great point you have brought up Yakker, people sometimes forget how easy it is to get really crook.
Take care fellow yakkers.
Bilby.

[Yacker]

From Todays Age

It never rains but it plumes

AFTER more than a decade of drought, the Yarra River is once again making its mark. The light brown stain revealed in this photograph is a sign that, on the back of last week's deluge, Melbourne's famous ''upside-down'' river is back in full flight. The volume and intensity of last week's rainfall has bulldozed through riverbanks and carved new pathways through the upper reaches of the Yarra's forested catchment.

''We are seeing a lot of examples in the upper catchment where just the sheer force and volume of the water will be bringing a lot of this soil down through the system,'' said Rod Clifford, Melbourne Water's manager of river health. ''It's very fine, clay sediment which finds its way reasonably quickly downstream and into the city …''

While river health benefits from a periodical flushing of sediments, the impact on Port Phillip Bay can be mixed. Marine biologist Mick Keough said it would be some time before this deluge could be judged as helping or harming the bay. ''The sediments can cut light penetration and the slug of nutrients that come in stimulate algal growth and things like that, so it's one of those things that could go either way,'' he said.

''It means there's a lot of food around for things, but on the other hand it could overwhelm bits of the system if a lot of it comes through at once.'' But there's one aspect of this king tide that everyone would rather avoid: the detritus, dog poo, syringes and other rubbish that is carried off city streets, into the river and the bay. City beaches have elevated e. coli levels and a nasty smattering of flotsam and jetsam.

[Yacker]

Melbourne Water Media Release

15 February 2011

A major storm over Melbourne on 4-5 February put Melbourne’s sewerage and drainage system under pressure. Here is some information about what happened and why.

Melbourne Water reiterates previous advice that there is NO IMPACT on drinking water quality.

The sewerage network is designed with extra capacity for stormwater that enters the system during wet weather. This is an addition to the capacity offered by Melbourne’s stormwater drainage system.
As an added failsafe, there are emergency outlets across the sewerage network that act as an extra layer of protection for the system in the event of extremely intense rainfall.
These outlets allow pressure to be taken off the system in rare and extreme conditions by enabling a controlled release of highly diluted sewage into suburban creeks and waterways. Failure to release under these conditions would risk ‘backing up’ of the sewerage system, which among other things would result in spills into people’s households (showers especially, as they are the lowest point in most homes).
As a result of extreme rain on 4-5 February 2011 some Melbourne Water emergency outlets opened into the following creeks:
Maribyrnong River
Merri Creek
Moonee Ponds Creek
Yarra River
Bayside drains at Elwood, Brighton and Hampton
Mordialloc Creek
Eumemmerring Creek
Water authorities consulted EPA Victoria on the day of the spills and we’ve been working closely with them since.
The releases would have consisted of very heavily diluted sewage even before it reached the river, which would dilute even further once in the river.
Both of Melbourne’s major treatment plants (at Carrum and at Werribee) were running at maximum capacity for up to 36 hours to cope with the flows.
It’s obviously not ideal to have diluted sewage entering our waterways, but it’s the lesser of two evils given the alternative is having it come up through people’s showers. That’s why the system is designed to automatically spill into rivers on rare occasions that the pressure gets too much.
Melbourne has a very robust sewerage and drainage system but the inflows we saw as a result of that downpour were incredible. Drainage in most cities would have struggled, and probably more than Melbourne did that day.
Given how diluted the discharges were, the practical impact on river health is extremely low and it would be washed out very quickly.
Spills of the type we saw on 5 February are rare; the last time they would have approached this level was after a major storm in February 2005.
While it’s not practical to build a system that could effortlessly cope with the inflows seen on 4-5 February, two major sewerage projects are underway that will increase the ability of the sewage system to deal with extreme wet weather flows – the Northern Sewerage Project and Melbourne Main Sewer Replacement . Combined, these two projects represent an $870 million investment in the city’s sewerage network and are both due for completion in 2012.
Melbourne Water is also investing over $50 million in a major upgrade of the drainage (as distinct from sewerage) system in Frankston. More information on the Frankston Drainage Project.
Like any urban body of water, floodwaters carry inherent risks to human health and especially after heavy rain. The Department of Human Services advises people to avoid any contact with floodwaters as they may be contaminated. And if this is unavoidable, then disinfect the affected area thoroughly. The Department of Health has more information on what to do.
Melbourne Water issued a media release on behalf of metro water authorities on Saturday 5 February 2011, sent to all media, and posted via our website and Twitter feed (#melbourne). This was in addition to general advice from a number of agencies to avoid contact with flood water as much as possible.
We’ll be working with the water retailers (see links below) and other authorities on ways the community can be better notified about how our system is handling extreme events.

[mingle]

Mmm... Yummy...

[maverick]

So Yacker, I caught a snapper this morning off Mornington, would you eat it?