The latest report on the ACT's water catchment health has highlighted the challenges posed by increasingly dry conditions.
Minister for the Environment and Heritage Mick Gentleman said the new report underscored how hotter and drier seasons due to climate change are negatively impacting our region's waterways
"Three reaches were found to be in 'excellent' condition, 37 were 'good', 53 were 'fair', four were 'poor', none were 'degraded' and one was too dry for too long to produce results," Minister Gentleman said.
"While the results are positive they have deteriorated in recent years, which the Waterwatch team has attributed to below average rainfall in 2019.
"Most of the Murrumbidgee River reaches showed signs of stress after the extended dry period, including around Tharwa where the river almost ceased to flow in December.
"The Catchment Health Indicator Program (CHIP) report provides us with an early warning system for ecosystem health issues through its surveys of water quality, waterbugs and the condition of riverbank vegetation.
"The successful citizen science report details conditions across 232 sites, representing 98 'reaches' of waterway. More than 200 volunteers conducted over 2000 water quality surveys for the 2019 report.
"The ACT Government is continuing its support for the program and recently committed ongoing funding to Waterwatch in the 2019/20 mid-year budget review."
The latest report is available at: www.environment.act.gov.au/r/2019-chip-report (PDF 12.4 MB)
