Deadly blackwater is crawling across the plains of Far West NSW, heading south towards Menindee Lakes and the site of the catastrophic 2019 fish kills. But river managers are mounting a rescue effort to minimise the damage.
Deadly blackwater is crawling slowly across the plains of Far West NSW, heading south down the Darling Baaka River towards Menindee Lakes and the site of the catastrophic 2019 fish kills that wiped out a million native cod, yellowbelly and bony herring.
“When they smell the rubbish water coming, fish will shift into a big lake if it’s available, or head up a tributary that might have better water quality,” Mr Ellis said. “The thing concerning me is once you get past about Bourke you don’t have tributaries contributing to the Darling. The lakes were full after an unusual winter rain event in 2016, but in the following years they were drained to water downstream reaches of the Murray Darling system, and to avoid losses to evaporation.
Water agencies will lend a helping hand by herding the black tide through the man-made lake system to “shandy up” the rubbish water with the sweetwater that’s sitting in the lakes. Murray Darling Basin Authority community engagement officer Richard Unsworth said community wellbeing in Menindee had risen with the return of good river flows and a healthier lake system, with locals taking an active role in environmental management.
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