Reservoirs get a health-kick

Story Jeannette Langan

Griffith University and SEQ Water have signed a three-year agreement to conduct crucial research into managing the region's dwindling water supplies into the future.

The agreement will fund a range of projects to help manage the introduction of recycled water into Wivenhoe Dam as part of the state government's Purified Recycled Water project. This includes a study on ways to prevent toxic blue-green algae blooms in reservoirs including Wivenhoe, North Pine and Somerset, as well as a project to help monitor the ongoing impacts of drought and falling dam levels on raw water supplies.

Lead researcher Dr Michele Burford of Griffith University-based Australian Rivers Institute said the agreement would enable researchers to look beneath the surface of the water crisis.

"When we look at a reservoir, the biggest impact of drought is low water," she said.

"What we do not see, for example, is how low water affects the availability of nutrients for algal growth.

"Low water levels can also affect aquatic plants, fish and other animals living in the reservoirs."

Dr Burford said the findings would enable SEQ Water to manage these key water resources through a period of unprecedented pressure.

"Our goal is to develop a 'suite' of key indicators that will provide a snapshot of the health of each reservoir," she said.

"These indicators of the health of a reservoir include everything from microscopic plants and animals to large bass.

"Once established, we should be able to easily adapt this suite to provide snapshots of the health of other reservoirs around the region."