December 2020

High river levels and flooding caused by recent heavy rain was evident at all monitoring points and possibly as a consequence of this, phosphate levels were unusually low. A decline in total dissolved solids may also have resulted from dilution caused by an increase in the volume of the river.   

The source, or sources, of the high phosphate readings noted on previous surveys remains a mystery. Eye-witness observations of liquid being pumped on to the fields near Treskilling raised expectations of high phosphate levels again this month; however, this was not the case. Observation of a heron in the stream adjacent to the field where the pump is usually situated suggests that the stream was healthy at the time.