Yet another toxic algal bloom in Launcesston’s drinking water

Kim Booth
THE Tasmanian Greens today accused the Bartlett Government of turning a blind eye to the excessive use of insecticides on forestry plantations in the upper catchment of the South Esk River, a situation that is leading directly to regular outbreaks of toxic blue-green algae in Launceston’s water storage at Lake Trevallyn.

Greens Member for Bass, Kim Booth MP, said an outbreak of blue-green algae in late Autumn, when the higher water temperatures required for algal outbreaks are declining, indicates that the situation in the upper catchment of the South Esk is deteriorating and that Launcestonians can expect regular outbreaks of algae in Lake Trevallyn to increase.

Mr Booth also highlighted a 1993 Inland Fisheries Commission report that revealed a late Autumn algal bloom in a Meander River tributary which began several weeks after cypermethrin was applied upstream, and which persisted into winter. The report’s authors suggest a possible link between the late season algal outbreak in the tributary, and the recent upstream spray event involving cypermethrin, a pyrethroid-based insecticide favoured for use in tree plantations. [1]

“These algal outbreaks are an environmental canary in a cage – they are an obvious indication that something is going wrong upstream, but the Labor Government continues to do nothing and seems to care more about its forest industry mates than it does about the people of Launceston,” said Mr Booth.

“Tasmanian authorities have been aware since 1993 that there is a probable link between upstream applications of insecticide and downstream algal outbreaks, but instead of addressing the issue they have turned a blind eye while also encouraging excessive plantation establishment in our upper catchments.”

“While water treatment plants do remove the algal cells before the drinking water is delivered to the people of Launceston, what about the root causes of the bloom? Who is acting to address that problem?”

“Why have successive Labor Government’s ignored the deteriorating water quality in Lake Trevallyn, and what are they going to do now about the increasing algal blooms in Lake Trevallyn?”

YET ANOTHER TOXIC ALGAL BLOOM IN LAUNCESTON’S DRINKING WATER
Insecticides Use in Upper Catchment Linked
Kim Booth MP
Member for Bass
Friday, 24 April 2009

www.tas.greens.org.au