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“These pH values remained extremely low until they jumped markedly on [October] the 28th… the jump seems to coincide with very high spring tides.”<\/p>\nIN THE past two weeks, acidity in the Anglesea River has spiked at the highest level since monthly water sampling began in 2008 then dropped to the lowest level since 2019.<\/p>\n
The variation is the result of heavy rains that first washed record quantities of acid into the estuary but then forced the normally closed river to open naturally to the ocean allowing saline flows back into the system, Estuary Watch member Dick O’Hanlan said.<\/p>\n
“The two creeks \u2013 Salt and Marshy \u2013 that feed the estuary are permanently acidic, so the more water you put in, the more acidic it becomes.<\/p>\n
“When we did the Estuary Watch readings (October 19) it was the lowest pH that Estuary Watch has ever recorded.
\n“These pH values remained extremely low until they jumped markedly on [October] the 28th… the jump seems to coincide with very high spring tides.”<\/p>\n
Averaging between 4.0-4.5 pH over the last year, the readings on October 19 were between 2.8-3.0pH, but by the end of the month they were about 7.0pH.<\/p>\n
It is a welcome reprieve for the system, which until last week was in its third year of permanent acidity at levels that have rendered it uninhabitable for fish and most aquatic life and prompted the Surf Coast Shire to re-establish warning signs about potential health risks to humans.<\/p>\n
“We don’t know how long it will stay like this, the river mouth will close up again\u2026 but it’s certainly a welcome surprise,” Mr O’Hanlan said.<\/p>\n
“Fish will almost certainly have swum in from the ocean, but I suspect they’ll be found belly-up if the pH drops again.”<\/p>\n
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