Latest Gladstone Harbour Water Quality Tests
05 January 2012AUSTRALIA - Two further rounds of independent water quality sampling in Port Curtis show no evidence that water quality is affecting fish health or that dredging in Gladstone Harbour is causing environmental harm.
Department of Environment and Resource Management Director-General Jim Reeves has released a peer-reviewed report of tests taken in late October and data from further independent testing conducted late November.
“The sampling shows no clear pattern in the water quality results taken across the Port Curtis region to suggest that dredging was having any obvious impact on water quality,” Mr Reeves said.
“What we are seeing is a natural month to month variation across all testing zones.
“There was no evidence that turbidity, pH, oxygen levels, salinity or temperature had any negative impact on water quality in Port Curtis harbour or its estuaries, or fish health concerns.
“Neither was there any clear pattern in the number of exceedances of dissolved metals guidelines for aluminium and copper.
“Turbidity levels in November were generally higher than in October but lower than in September.
“There were high levels of turbidity and nutrient levels, especially nitrogen, found at Boat Creek. This is a considerable distance from the dredging, and the localised nature suggests high turbidity can occur naturally in some areas within Port Curtis.
“With the exception of aluminium, generally the concentrations of metals and metalloids were lower in October and November compared with the first round of sampling in September.
“Dissolved aluminium was found at 18 sites surveyed throughout Port Curtis area, compared with one site in October and six sites in September, indicating the dynamic and highly variable nature of Port Curtis.
“The November data found no dissolved chromium at any sites, and levels of total zinc were within guidelines at all sites other than at Boat Creek which may be related to the elevated turbidity at that site.
“From the data available, there is no clear connection between fish health and the results of the monitoring that has been undertaken to date.
“Monthly sampling will continue and the results will be made public.”
However, Dr Andrew Jeremijenko, Queensland Greens member and environmental medicine specialist, said that statements from DERM, Fisheries Minister Craig Wallace and Gladstone Ports Corporation have minimised the concerning findings in the reports and have not made it clear that diseased fish from Gladstone harbour should not be eaten.
"Government reports have contained data regarding high turbidity in dredge affected areas, high total aluminium levels associated with high turbidity
and high aluminium in the gills of diseased fish.
"Acid Sulphate soils in dredge material and aluminium are known to be toxic to gills of fish and other marine life.
"So it is not surprising that local fishermen are continuing to report disease in a wide variety of marine life including fish, sharks, crabs and prawns and that seafood businesses in Gladstone are being severely impacted.
Dr Jeremijenko said that he hoped the independent panel report would shed new light on these disturbing findings and recommend further high quality research.
The latest test results are available at www.derm.qld.gov.au/gladstone
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