A leading wetland ecologist has issued a dire warning for Lake Albert, following on from a mass fish kill in Griffith that saw thousands of dead fish wash up on the shores of Lake Wyangan.
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Geoff Sainty said both lakes suffer from much the same problems, with low water levels, blue-green algae infestations, and worsening turbidity contributing to the poor health of the lakes.
"Lake Albert is a mirror of Lake Wyangan in Griffith," Mr Sainty here.
"The same circumstances, plus or minus, are going on in both lakes: the water quality is miserable and turbidity is through the roof."
Mr Sainty said Lake Albert's ecosystem was under mounting pressure, due to high turbidity which blocked off light and starved low-lying water plants on the bottom of the lake.
His "dead easy" solution, which he has been touting for years, is to build banks into the north-east side of Lake Albert and introduce shallow water plants that would filter the system.
"The only way you can economically and effectively fix the problem is to use short growing water plants in shallow bays connected with one another where water that comes in has to go through them," Mr Sainty said.
"There's food in them for birds, there's places for the bacteria and insects, and you could end up with some biology happening, but meanwhile back at the ranch we have Lake Albert dead as a dodo."
However Mr Sainty said he remains pessimistic about the future of Lake Albert, saying there was a lack of political willpower to secure a resolution any time soon.
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Wagga aquatic ecologist Patricia Murray said she also foresees a grim future for Lake Albert, saying that climate change and a resultant low level of rainfall would continue to put pressure on the system.
"This is all part of climate change and we now have to live with it, because there's just no rain," Dr Murray said.
"With the reduction in the water level you're going to see a concentration in all sorts of things in the water that will affect the fish. Not too long ago someone mentioned to me the pelicans were having a good feast."
Dr Murray said there was no "quick fix" to the problem, saying that climate change would continue to pose a threat to the health of Lake Albert heading into the future.
Wagga mayor Greg Conkey said the future of the lake depended on rain, saying that past droughts had hit hard on the water levels.
"We've had a bit of rain and that has helped the lake a little bit, so hopefully with some more rain coming that may overcome our situation," Councillor Conkey said.
Council are in discussions with the NSW Water Minister Melinda Pavey about possible solutions for Lake Albert, including a plan to divert water into the lake to top it up once per year.
Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
