Deadly algal bloom in South Australia's Coorong an environmental ‘eye opener', ecologist says
When South Australia's algal bloom arrived in the Coorong, it stained the water like strong tea before turning it into a slurry of dead worms.
Many had hoped the storm in late May would break up the bloom of Karenia mikimotoi algae, which has killed more than 200 different marine species. Instead, high tides swept the algae into the Coorong, an internationally significant Ramsar wetland at the mouth of the Murray River.
Once there, the algae began 'reproducing madly' in the nutrient rich waters of the North Lagoon, according to estuarine ecologist Faith Coleman.
Among the dead were mostly benthic species – estuarine snails, shore crabs, baby flounder and 'a thick stew of dead polychaete worms' – a crucial food source for shorebirds and fish.
Levels had declined from their peak but the smell of rotting fish remained, along with algal spores buried in the sediment. 'As soon as it warms up again, the likelihood is [the algal bloom will] be back,' Coleman said.
The marine heatwave, a contributing factor to the bloom, persisted off the coast of SA, according to an 11 June update, which showed increases in chlorophyll – an indicator of algae concentrations – along the Coorong coast and western Gulf Saint Vincent.
Fourth generation fisherman Gary Hera-Singh was one of the first to notice the lagoon's colour turn a 'dark, orangey-brown'.
'We had a big storm event, a lot of seawater got pushed around, and this algal bloom found its way into the Coorong and has just created havoc since,' he said, and there were still 'massive patches – 100 acres at a time' where the bloom was flourishing.
Hera-Singh has witnessed the health of the Coorong decline in his lifetime, but said in 41 years of fishing the impact of the algal bloom was the worst event he had seen.
The Coorong, a 120km narrow band of water separated by sand dunes from the Southern Ocean, together with lakes Alexandrina and Albert, is considered a wetland of international significance, providing critical habitat for fish, water birds and many threatened species. The North Lagoon – the area affected – is an important nursery for fish such as mulloway and bream.
Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email
Prof Peter Gell, an expert in Ramsar listed wetlands, said the wetlands had degraded over a long period of time, with barrages (structures that control water flow) added in the 1950s, higher nutrient loads and extended periods of reduced flow from the Murray.
Algal blooms were symptoms of broader changes, he said. 'Because of this we're seeing – both offshore and within the Coorong – substantial changes in the food web.'
As a wetland of international significance, the Australian government was obliged to report environmental changes to the Coorong under the Ramsar convention, Gell said, a process that usually triggered restoration efforts.
Federal and state governments were liaising about the situation, including any long-term impacts likely to affect the ecological character of the Coorong, a federal environment department spokesperson said.
'We understand that, given the dynamics of the North Lagoon, it is difficult to dissipate the bloom and it might remain for some time.'
Fresh water may help the situation, Coleman said, given the algae thrived at salinity levels of 18-37 grams per litre. Restoration efforts would help build the resilience of the Coorong and marine areas, she said.
The system was already under pressure, said Dr Nick Whiterod, an ecologist and science program manager at the Coorong Lower Lakes Murray Mouth Research Centre. But the recent drought and unusual algal blooms had been 'eye openers' to many people, he said.
Last year, a tropical species of blue-green algal bloomed in Lake Alexandrina for the first time, and had persisted, Whiterod said. Now that karenia mikimotoi had got into the Coorong, there was concern it too would bloom again.
The Coorong was vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, like sea level rise and reduced river flows, he said.
'Ocean temperatures are heating up. It's creating conditions that are conducive to algal blooms all around the world,' he said. 'Our ecosystems are really stressed, we are getting to a period of time where some may not have the capacity to recover.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- The Guardian
Deadly algal bloom in South Australia's Coorong an environmental ‘eye opener', ecologist says
When South Australia's algal bloom arrived in the Coorong, it stained the water like strong tea before turning it into a slurry of dead worms. Many had hoped the storm in late May would break up the bloom of Karenia mikimotoi algae, which has killed more than 200 different marine species. Instead, high tides swept the algae into the Coorong, an internationally significant Ramsar wetland at the mouth of the Murray River. Once there, the algae began 'reproducing madly' in the nutrient rich waters of the North Lagoon, according to estuarine ecologist Faith Coleman. Among the dead were mostly benthic species – estuarine snails, shore crabs, baby flounder and 'a thick stew of dead polychaete worms' – a crucial food source for shorebirds and fish. Levels had declined from their peak but the smell of rotting fish remained, along with algal spores buried in the sediment. 'As soon as it warms up again, the likelihood is [the algal bloom will] be back,' Coleman said. The marine heatwave, a contributing factor to the bloom, persisted off the coast of SA, according to an 11 June update, which showed increases in chlorophyll – an indicator of algae concentrations – along the Coorong coast and western Gulf Saint Vincent. Fourth generation fisherman Gary Hera-Singh was one of the first to notice the lagoon's colour turn a 'dark, orangey-brown'. 'We had a big storm event, a lot of seawater got pushed around, and this algal bloom found its way into the Coorong and has just created havoc since,' he said, and there were still 'massive patches – 100 acres at a time' where the bloom was flourishing. Hera-Singh has witnessed the health of the Coorong decline in his lifetime, but said in 41 years of fishing the impact of the algal bloom was the worst event he had seen. The Coorong, a 120km narrow band of water separated by sand dunes from the Southern Ocean, together with lakes Alexandrina and Albert, is considered a wetland of international significance, providing critical habitat for fish, water birds and many threatened species. The North Lagoon – the area affected – is an important nursery for fish such as mulloway and bream. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Prof Peter Gell, an expert in Ramsar listed wetlands, said the wetlands had degraded over a long period of time, with barrages (structures that control water flow) added in the 1950s, higher nutrient loads and extended periods of reduced flow from the Murray. Algal blooms were symptoms of broader changes, he said. 'Because of this we're seeing – both offshore and within the Coorong – substantial changes in the food web.' As a wetland of international significance, the Australian government was obliged to report environmental changes to the Coorong under the Ramsar convention, Gell said, a process that usually triggered restoration efforts. Federal and state governments were liaising about the situation, including any long-term impacts likely to affect the ecological character of the Coorong, a federal environment department spokesperson said. 'We understand that, given the dynamics of the North Lagoon, it is difficult to dissipate the bloom and it might remain for some time.' Fresh water may help the situation, Coleman said, given the algae thrived at salinity levels of 18-37 grams per litre. Restoration efforts would help build the resilience of the Coorong and marine areas, she said. The system was already under pressure, said Dr Nick Whiterod, an ecologist and science program manager at the Coorong Lower Lakes Murray Mouth Research Centre. But the recent drought and unusual algal blooms had been 'eye openers' to many people, he said. Last year, a tropical species of blue-green algal bloomed in Lake Alexandrina for the first time, and had persisted, Whiterod said. Now that karenia mikimotoi had got into the Coorong, there was concern it too would bloom again. The Coorong was vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, like sea level rise and reduced river flows, he said. 'Ocean temperatures are heating up. It's creating conditions that are conducive to algal blooms all around the world,' he said. 'Our ecosystems are really stressed, we are getting to a period of time where some may not have the capacity to recover.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
‘There's faeces everywhere': Carol's home regularly floods with sewage. It's a sign of a ‘neglected' public housing system
Earlier this month, Carol Edwards woke to find the entire downstairs floor of her inner-Sydney terrace house covered in human excrement. Faeces, urine, and balls of toilet paper from her neighbours' homes had bubbled up from a drain in her laundry cupboard and spilled across the floor of her kitchen, past her dining table, through to the lounge – almost to the front door of her Alexandria home. That 6 June morning wasn't the first time sewage has flooded her home. In fact, she says it has happened more times than she can count in the 30 years she has lived in the housing commission property. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Edwards, 78, says her home has been flooded – sometimes with her neighbours' sewage, sometimes with grey water when they run their dishwasher or washing machine – dozens of times. Friday was the third time that week alone. 'It just gurgles from the laundry, comes up like a fountain,' she says. 'There's faeces everywhere sometimes.' Nicole Beaver, one of Edwards' neighbours, moved into the area in October and checks in on Edwards most days – dropping over meals, helping her clean up and having tea together. Beaver estimates that as well as the three flooding incidents during the first week of June, she has witnessed nine or 10 more since October last year. Edwards says: 'Ever since I've had this place, I've had nothing but floods and every time, I've always rung maintenance, the plumbers come out and do their job, they go, and it starts again.' For Edwards, her home being routinely flooded has an enormous effect on her quality of life. When she came downstairs two weeks ago she slipped in the mess, falling hard. Neighbours have called ambulances for her numerous times – including once last week – when sewage spewing from her drain caused her to have a panic attack. 'Oh, it's terrible,' she says. 'Soon as I come down to see water everywhere I start to panic and I start to shake. I've been at the hospital a couple of times.' The house is cold. She has a number of large rugs that could cover the tiled floor, but they are folded up and balanced on top of dining chairs. 'I can't afford to get those wet, they're too hard to get dry,' she says. 'But it's so cold after you've been flooded in here.' Edwards' own toilet often backs up as well. As she can never predict when it will work and when it won't, she is now too afraid to use it and will go to the local pub instead, which has affected her health. 'I can't have a decent feed,' she says, which is partly due to her toilet access and partly due to losing her appetite. 'After seeing shit on your floor, who wants to eat a meal, you know?' Each time the flooding occurs, Edwards does the same thing: mops up the mess – her home is full of drying mops – and calls the urgent maintenance number provided by Homes NSW, who manages public housing properties. Homes NSW sends out a plumber to unblock the drain. When asked how many times she's complained over the years, she says, 'I've lost count.' Would she have called dozens of times? 'It would be. Minimum.' Homes NSW says it has records of three requests for urgent repairs at Edwards' property since 1 July 2024. They all occurred in the last six weeks. But Edwards and her children dispute this, saying the number is higher. Homes NSW did not provide records for calls before 1 July 2024. Edwards claims that for the last 20 years, public housing officials have failed to resolve the underlying issue: tree roots from large trees in the lot behind the row of public housing terraces. She says plumbers have told her for years that tree roots have infiltrated the pipes there. A spokesperson for Homes NSW said the agency 'responded immediately to each of these reported incidents by dispatching licensed plumbers to address the cause of the blockage'. 'It has taken time for the plumber to identify the source of the blockage, given the age of the property and neighbouring infrastructure. 'A CCTV inspection has now been undertaken across the entire sewerage system in the street. This has identified tree roots and accumulated wet wipes as the cause of the obstruction.' Homes NSW claimed that the pipes were 'thoroughly cleared using a root cutter and jet blaster to prevent further overflows' on Friday 6 June. But Edwards' property flooded again on Tuesday 10 June, Beaver says, though Edwards did not report this to Homes NSW. 'She was just too fed up,' Beaver says. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Homes NSW said they were 'deeply concerned' about Edwards' experience. 'We understand how distressing and disruptive this has been, we've offered the tenant alternate temporary accommodation and are committed to resolving this issue permanently.' 'I wish I could say that this story surprises me, but it doesn't,' says Ned Cooke, the tenancy team leader at the Redfern Legal Centre. 'The pattern of that story sounds very familiar.' Cooke says decades of neglect of public housing has led to tenants 'living in public housing in substandard and potentially dangerous conditions'. About 10% of his team's workload consists of public housing tenants dealing with repair and maintenance problems, Cooke says. Many can get immediate repairs done, but the bigger structural issues – a leaky roof replaced, mould eradicated, electrical works sorted – often go unfixed for months or years. Last year, the NSW government committed $1bn to repairing 30,000 public housing properties, saying that repairing the declining public housing stock was a key priority. 'We have a public housing system with over 100,000 properties, many of which have longstanding maintenance issues. We're working every day and property by property to deliver better support to our tenants, but with a portfolio this large it takes time,' the NSW housing minister, Rose Jackson, said. 'When I hear stories like Carol's I know we still have work to do, it isn't acceptable and I'm just more determined to keep working to turn things around. 'When we came to government we found a public housing system that had been neglected and gutted. Homes were being sold off to fund basic maintenance and tenants were left waiting while the system fell apart.' As at 26 May 2025, the Homes NSW maintenance team has completed 371,000 work orders, at a total value of $496m. The team was also on track to complete capital upgrades on approximately 7,500 properties, totalling $223m by 30 June 2025. The Minns government said in 2024 it would establish a new response centre to take back management of public housing maintenance and repairs from the private sector. Cooke said that it was too soon to tell if the Minns' government's stated focus on repairing public housing was making a difference to tenants. But Beaver says the issues have been going for so long and the properties are in such bad repair that many have given up on expecting help from the government. 'People just give up and they save all their money and they do it themselves,' says Beaver. 'Or they just live like that, they get used to living in those conditions. It's really rough.' Edwards, who was born in Bourke and moved to Sydney aged 16, worked as a cleaner and cook until she retired. She is house-proud, walls decorated with pictures of Elvis and her own 'diamond art' which she does by placing tiny coloured crystal beads on canvases to form pictures of flowers, a tiger, the Eiffel Tower. 'It's my pride and joy, this little place, but I just can't do it any more.' She'd like to move to a ground-floor unit that is appropriate for someone approaching 80. As well as the sewage issue, her current house has stairs with no hand rail, and she has to swing her legs over a bathtub to get into the shower. She has put a milk crate into the bathtub as a makeshift seat so that she can wash herself more safely, but it is not a long-term solution. A spokesperson for Homes NSW said: 'We understand that our tenant wishes to relocate. Our team received her transfer request on Tuesday June 10 and will work with her on a more appropriate housing option.' But her son, Jamie Dempsey, wants to make sure that whoever moves into the property next does not face the same issues. 'I don't want Mum to move out and they put another person in and it happens to them. 'Just imagine you wake up every morning and you come down the stairs and you don't know if there'll be faeces all over your kitchen floor ... I want them to look at it as a human being and say: what if this was your mum – cleaning up faeces and urine again and again.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Aussies shiver as region records coldest night in more than 40 years
Millions of Australians shivered through freezing temperatures overnight with some parts of the country recording their coldest night in decades. Mt Isa, in north-west Queensland, recorded its coldest June night in 44 years after temperatures plunged to -0.7C. Further east, in Richmond, a minimum temperature of -0.1C was the first sub-zero night in 13 years. Oakey on the Darling Downs reached a low of -4.2C. 'What we're seeing is a very stubborn high pressure system sitting over the east coast,' the Bureau of Meteorology's Jonathon How told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's made up of light wind, clear skies and cool air; the clear sky does mean that temperature can drop overnight. 'We are expecting another frosty night across Queensland tonight.' In NSW, the cold snap blanketed the Central Tablelands in snow and temperatures sank below freezing. Melbourne will remain drier heading into the end of the week after multiple rounds of showers fell across Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Many of the areas to receive the dampening had endured a record dry start to the year, with farmers saying more rain was needed to break the drought. 'Southern and south-eastern Australia will need to see more healthy rain-bearing systems this winter to further reduce or wipe out the longer-term rainfall deficiencies,' Weatherzone wrote at the time. Gusty showers and potential storms developing across southern Western Australia on Friday as a cold front clips the bottom of the state. The front is tipped to reach Adelaide on Saturday, bringing showers to some of the driest regions of the state. The Mid North of the state looks likely to miss out on the much-needed rain, but the upper Eyre Peninsula –which has seen the least rainfall all year– should receive some of the showers.
