Graphic reality of dry Lower Lakes sets in.

Article from 'The Advertiser", CARA JENKIN, August 04, 2009 12:01am

LAKE Alexandrina's depth has dropped 1.5m and it is less than half full - and the adjacent Lake Albert will be dry in a year.

Grim new figures and forecasts from the Environment and Heritage Department reveal the full extent of the physical impact of the ongoing drought on the Lower Lakes.

Up to twice the amount of water flowing into the lakes from the River Murray evaporates each year and sand flats now extend for kilometres.

Yesterday, where water once flowed, Point Sturt farmer Mora McCallum walked her dog, in an area more resembling sand dunes.

Ms McCallum has watched water move further and further from her property in the past two and a half years. She describes the plight of Lake Alexandrina as "utterly depressing".

SAVE THE MURRAY SUPERSITE: Stories, photographs and expert opinion document the decline of the Murray.

"It's not just depressing for the effect on the farm but for the wildlife too," Mrs McCallum said.

In some parts of Lake Alexandrina, the sand flats are up to 5km from the shore.

The Lake has lost almost 1000 gigalitres of water since the drought began in 2006 and now holds 690 gigalitres compared with its capacity of 1650 gigalitres.

The total drop in the water level could exceed 2m by July next year, when the water level is forecast to fall 1.2m below sea level.

The lake's average water level is now 0.8m below sea level and 1.65m below what it would be if it were full.

In the next 12 months, at least 475 gigalitres of water is predicted to evaporate.

Lake Albert, cut off from its water source of Lake Alexandrina for the past month, is expected to be "virtually empty" by this time next year.

However, water in the Goolwa channel is expected to increase to 0.7m above sea level  from 0.8m below sea level  by summer, because of the construction of regulators that will hold about 50 gigalitres of winter rain downstream from Clayton.

Water salinity in Lake Alexandrina is currently measured at 10 per cent that of seawater, at 5443EC, and in Lake Albert at 20 per cent of seawater, at 9454EC.

The Federal Government has said it is taking "practical" action to address the situation.

But it maintained there was not enough fresh water available for the River Murray environment.

In other developments:

RIVER Murray irrigators can access a further 3 per cent of their entitlements, or 5 per cent of their total allocation, from this month;

TRIALS on using seawater to neutralise acid in soils in the Lower Lakes have begun;

PREMIER Mike Rann has called on the Queensland Government to reconsider its plan that would allow irrigators to take water from outback creeks.

A spokesman for federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the Federal Government had notified the Ramsar Secretariat of ecological changes to the Lower Lakes and Coorong because they were considered Wetlands of International Importance.

But he said the region had not been recommended for listing on the Montreux Record  for Ramsar sites facing problems in maintaining their ecological character  which would allow Australia to receive technical assistance to help solve problems in the area.

The appropriateness of the Lower Lakes and Coorong being included on the Montreux Record was assessed "from time to time, as new information arises", he said.

A spokeswoman for federal Water Minister Penny Wong said there was simply not enough water in the system to do everything.

"The Government is well aware of the crisis facing the Murray-Darling Basin and is taking practical action to meet these challenges," she said.

She said the Government had spent $660 million to buy back 446 gigalitres of water entitlements already and it would take 1300 gigalitres to fill and maintain the Lower Lakes for one year.

The State Government has started trials to see if sea water can neutralise acid in the soil of the Lower Lakes.

It will put about 40,000 litres of sea water on eight small patches of dried sediments at Boggy Creek and Point Sturt, near Clayton.

Although the trial is expected to be finished by the end of this month, it could be extended depending on the results.

Acting state River Murray Minister Paul Caica yesterday said heavy rainfall in parts of the Murray-Darling Basin in late June and early July had allowed for an extra 25 gigalitres of water to be used for irrigation.

"This advance of water was negotiated under the special water sharing arrangements for 2009-10, specifically to support irrigators in all jurisdictions early in the season," he said.

Total inflows in July into River Murray reservoirs interstate was about 310 gigalitres, compared to the long-term monthly average of 1190 gigalitres.

Ms McCallum said irrigators upstream needed to stop over-using the water available and send fresh water to the bottom of the river system.

"It's nonsense to say there is no water up there it's being poured out upstream," she said.

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