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MEDIA RELEASE 18 April 2007 Our waterways under the microscope The health of the Wide Bay's river systems will literally be put under the microscope during the next 16 months under a national water improvement plan. Staff at Wide Bay Water Corporation Scientific Services are gearing up to do thousands of water tests thanks to a contract with the Burnett Mary Regional Group to analyse water samples taken from river creeks and coastal waters throughout the Burnett and Mary regions. The BMRG said the project was part of the national Water Quality Improvement Plan under which the Burnett-Mary region had a "critical priority". WBWC Scientific Services manager Glynis Stewart said her team was excited about working with councils and community groups ranging from Kingaroy to Woodgate and Baffle Creek to Cherbourg. "It's a challenge to make sure it's done well and exciting in that it is going to help raise the level of knowledge and community awareness of the importance of water quality in maintaining our lifestyles." She said the testing would identify all forms of nitrogen and phosphorus which normally came from farming fertilisers, cattle manure and the breakdown of vegetation. "When these nutrients get into waterways they promote the growth of weeds and toxic blue-green algae. If they get into the marine environment they can be responsible for the killing of corals." She said the $370,000 contract would increase the lab's current work flow by up to 360,000 tests. The project will run for about 16 months and then be revised once the data is analysed by the BMRG. The laboratory's quality accreditation with the National Association of Testing Authorities had played an important role in gaining the contract. Initially, in-depth testing would create a "baseline profile" to establish the current nature of the system so that the effects of change could be observed. Glynis added: "We'll be helping community groups to learn how to take samples through workshops and we'll also provide a staff member to support the samplers and to physically collect the samples. The reason we provide a service for the collection of samples is because of the huge numbers involved as well the fact that we can't always rely on couriers to get the sample to us quickly enough to maintain its integrity." WBWC Scientific Services manager Glynis Stewart is pictured with the equipment that carries out automated nutrient analysis. "This machine will be invaluable in coming months to process around 360,000 tests on water from the Wide Bay's river systems," she said.
For more details phone Denis Heron, |
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