REVIVE LAKE CATHIE’S PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM 12 & 13 DECEMBER 2020, CALL FOR URGENT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY ASSESSMENT
15/12/2020 - As part of a 12-month testing program to create estuary baselines and formulate trend analysis, Revive Lake Cathie’s NSW Waterwatch Team undertook the 3 rd round of testing throughout the Lake Cathie/Lake Innes Estuarine System on December 12 & 13, 2020.
Revive Lake Cathie’s NSW Waterwatch Team qualified 450 water samples.
Preliminary testing results support Revive Lake Cathie’s concern for public health and safety in marine life consumption and recreational usage in the Lake system. These concerns were raised with Port MacquarieHastings Council and the Lake Stakeholder Representative on 27 November 2020.
Revive Lake Cathie's NSW Waterwatch’ s December 2020 preliminary water testing samples evidenced a number of significantly contaminated sites with contamination escalating from last month’s testing results.
Water testing samples (from left to right):-
Dark red sample – taken at the entrance of creek leading into Lakeside Woods Estate Creek evidence severe contamination. Our water testing team reported a strong sulphur smell and tasting sulphur in their mouths.
Middle sample is further down into Lake Cathie (south/west of Kenwood Drive Bridge)
Orange sample – taken under Kenwood Drive Bridge were also over range.
Revive Lake Cathie’s NSW Waterwatch Team test down to 1 in 100 million molecules (or 0.01 ppm) using a standard colorimeter.
“In normal levels (around one in a thousand), we expected to see only a faint colour in the prepared sample”. Said Revive Lake Cathie Board Member and Environmental Scientist Peter Fitzroy.
“Revive Lake Cathie calls for immediate inclusion of health into the Lake Stakeholder Representative due to public health and safety concerns” said Revive Lake Cathie President Danielle Maltman. Revive Lake Cathie recognises the exceptional work of our NSW Waterwatch team especially Dr Deb Geronimi (Marine Biologist), Vic Pisani (Environmental Botanist), Peter Fitzroy (Environmental Scientist) and Kate Aston (NSW Waterwatch Coordinator) who qualify our accurate, precise and sensitive tests, which require careful preparation.
Testing results are available thanks to the Community Volunteers of Revive Lake Cathie who have taken action in undertaking water testing as the “Voice of the Lake”.
Revive Lake Cathie’s Marine Biologist Dr Deb Geronimi is in the process of qualifying December’s testing results.
Dr Deb Geronimi
Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) Degree Marine and Freshwater Biology. PhD Estuarine Biology.
For further information contact Revive Lake Cathie [email protected]
