PARTNER RELEASE – Improved monitoring of water quality at Lake Hume will ensure early detection of blue-green algae in the coming summer, thanks to new equipment installed today by the CSIRO and Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA).
MDBA Executive Director of River Management, Andrew Reynolds, said high water quality in Lake Hume was essential to safeguard water supply for drinking, agriculture, recreation and the environment.
“A new pontoon anchored to the lakebed has been installed with specialised equipment to give us real time information and visual data on what is happening in Lake Hume,” Mr Reynolds said.
“It will provide the CSIRO and the MDBA with early warning signals on the formation of algal blooms and their patterns of development and dispersal to help us to manage the impacts where we can.
“Real time information and data coupled with remote sensing imagery using satellite technology will enable us to more accurately predict and analyse the location and timing of algal blooms, which will benefit everyone who relies on this water resource.
“Lake Hume is an important sport and recreation feature for local people and the tourism industry, and a major water storage for entire the River Murray system.”
The monitoring program is supported by the CSIRO and WaterNSW and funded by the Commonwealth, New South Wales, Victorian and South Australian governments.
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