It's raining! It's raining!

@msolga,

In fact the environment cleans itself up from events like that rather fast - the nutrients are absorbed by the plantlife and in the presence of oxygen in the air the rest degrades very quickly. A steady dose of it would be another matter.

The sudden shift from a prolonged drought to a deluge is a lot to bear. Hang in there Aussies.

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@georgeob1,

I hope you're right about that, George!
I worry about it possibly ending up in the ocean, too.

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@msolga,

Please excuse this indulgence. But I worry about the poor old Merri Creek. (& the other major waterways, too.) It is a matter very dear to my heart.
Until fairy recently, the creek was subject to heavy pollution:

Quote:

The creek was the site of heavy industrial use throughout much of the 20th century, being home to quarries, landfills and accepting waste runoff from neighbouring factories. This has degraded the riparian ecology of the creek leaving behind pollutants such as heavy metals and various greases. Recent decades have seen some regenerative planting and the foundation of several community groups dedicated to protecting and regenerating the creek's ecology.

And it has taken years to clean it up. Changes in environment policies regarding industrial waste & lots of good work on the part of environment groups (like the "friends") have brought about huge improvements.:

Quote:

As native vegetation has been regenerated, some species of native wildlife has returned to the creek including Kookaburras, Kingfishers, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, Echidnas, frogs and reports of platypuses in the upper northern regions and now further south in Coburg[2]. Merri Creek is abundant in edible plants for those trained to identify them. Edible species include dandelion, dock, fennel, jerusalem artichoke, numerous brassicas, blackberry nightshade, sorrel, catsear, sowthistle, nettle and many others. Great care in identification should be taken when harvesting fennel and other member of the Apiaceae family, as Poison hemlock has been found growing in some areas of the creek.

This is the part of the Merri Creek near to where I live.
The closest part is a 5 minute walk away from my front door.

This is a depiction of the Merri Creek, prior to all the industrial activity in the 20th century.

Aborigines on Merri Creek by Charles Troedel, published 1865

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merri_Creek

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@msolga,

My dad used to fish in merri creek when he was a lad

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@dadpad,

Yes?
Which part of it, dp?
It meanders so far & wide through so many suburbs!

This bit's in Fairfield & Clifton Hill. (during a period of drought, by the looks of it.)
That's the city skyline in the not-too-far-away distance.

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I dont realy know ms olga but he lived for a fair while at Boxhill. Of course in those days it was no trouble to ride a bike pretty much anywhere.

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@msolga,

I run a company that does environmental remediation on a fairly large scale. Animal wastes break down very quickly in the presence of oxygen, and are no threat at all to the ocean. Natural (or restored wetlands) perhaps like your creek are very effective in breaking down most typical pollutants - even heavy metal and complex organic compounds. If the creek has been free flowing and the sources of new pollutants have been cut off for (say) a decade, it is a good bet that it is nearly fully recovered. There are a few long-lasting organic pollutants like PCBs and dioxin, but even they do eventually break down into innocuous compounds.

In the early days the preferred solution to most soil & water pollution was removal of the material (then what do you do with it?). Now there is much more emphasis on creating the physical and biological conditions that promote the natural breakdown and degredation of the harmful compounds, by any number of techniques ranging from simply aerating the material, to selective plantings and even the injection of bacteria that like to eat the stuff. In effect this just amounts to hurrying natural processes.

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@dadpad,

Ah, it could have been any number of places. (I wonder what fish he caught?)

These days we are seeing the return of the bike paths. My local council (Moreland) seems to be very keen on them.
When I do my (local) Merri Creek walk you see as many cyclists as walkers. No, probably a lot more cyclists, come to think of it.

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@msolga,

Perhaps you should join the cycling craze Ms olga. Mumpad has.

Twas mulga bill from eaglehawk
that caught the cycling craze

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@msolga,

I run a company that does environmental remediation on a fairly large scale. Animal wastes break down very quickly in the presence of oxygen, and are no threat at all to the ocean. Natural (or restored wetlands) perhaps like your creek are very effective in breaking down most typical pollutants - even heavy metal and complex organic compounds. If the creek has been free flowing and the sources of new pollutants have been cut off for (say) a decade, it is a good bet that it is nearly fully recovered. There are a few long-lasting organic pollutants like PCBs and dioxin, but even they do eventually break down into innocuous compounds.

In the early days the preferred solution to most soil & water pollution was removal of the material (then what do you do with it?). Now there is much more emphasis on creating the physical and biological conditions that promote the natural breakdown and degredation of the harmful compounds, by any number of techniques ranging from simply aerating the material, to selective plantings and even the injection of bacteria that like to eat the stuff. In effect this just amounts to hurrying natural processes.

Your photos suggest a very pleasing place and I can see why you like it.

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@georgeob1,

Quote:

If the creek has been free flowing and the sources of new pollutants have been cut off for (say) a decade, it is a good bet that it is nearly fully recovered

Of course, years of very heavy drought had a huge impact on the Merri's "free flow", George. It had almost dried up in parts, for ages.
But much more stringent pollution/waste controls (including hefty fines) have certainly had an impact.
And also, thanks to the work of volunteer environmentalists, who have done their bit to clean up past messes, like remove inappropriate & invasive "introduced" plants & replace them with native plants (amongst other activities).

I think the the slow, but sure (I really hope!) success of such efforts has been borne out by the return of long-missing local wildlife species. Still quite a way to go, but progress has been made.

You have no idea how excited locals became at the first spotting of the sacred kingfisher to the Merri Creek environs, some years ago now! Welcome home, local birds! Smile

http://www.birdphotos.com.au/Sacred%20Kingfisher/slides/sacredkingfisher11.jpg

There was actually a festival, since repeated, to celebrate the event.
http://ceres.org.au/?q=node/168

1 Reply

@msolga,

Now, if we see a lot more creatures like the platypus around the Merri, on a regular basis, we'll know that where really getting somewhere!

http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/albania/323/adult1.gif

Quote:

THE first platypus sighting in Merri Creek in more than three decades has prompted speculation that they may recolonise the area.

Merri Creek Management Committee information officer Ray Radford was among half a dozen people who reported seeing the platypus in September in the Thornbury-Coburg area of the creek.

“I saw it duck into vegetation overhanging the embankment and then it came out and swam around for 20 minutes,” Mr Radford said.

“It even got up on a rock and had a scratch.”

Mr Radford said platypuses disappeared from the inner urban areas of the Merri Creek with the arrival of white settlers in the 1800s.

http://moreland-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/platypus-pops-in/

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Please pardon my digression ... from my own thread topic, even! (tsk, tsk, I should know better.)

But sometimes passion gets in the way of the best laid plans! Wink

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@msolga,

when in Rome
I was treasurer (lol) of the mansfield wetlands commottee for a long period. we built it to process stormwater runoff from roads. 4 depressions were dug each one slightly shallower than its neighbour so that all environmnets could be catered for. The shallowest one only ever fills when the wetlands flood and suitable plants for deep water lillies reed filters and emergents were planted. Trees and understory were planted up on the embankments and surrounding areas. These provide settings from prklike areas to wild Australian bush. The area was quickly colonised by waterbirds and amphibians
A network of walking tracks and bridges provide access to resting places, viewing platforms and bird hides.

http://www.mansfieldwetlands.org.au/images/gallery/reeds.jpg

http://www.mansfieldwetlands.org.au/images/gallery/bridge.jpg

You can read more about the welands here
http://www.mansfieldwetlands.org.au/

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@dadpad,

Congratulations, possum! Smile

Excellent work on the part of you & your fellow committee members! Smile

My sincere belief is, that without active community interest & action, many of such projects stall, or at worst, they are doomed to failure.

Now I think I might have to participate much more actively in The Friends of the Merri Creek's activities. (as a local) I should become a member & do some of the necessary hard slog!

Until recently I was (belatedly) involved in a local group to save hectares of local grasslands from the developers.

That objective seems to have been achieved. Now to move onto other important things.

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@msolga,

WE are presently under a tornado watch and about 20 miles SW, they are under a tornado warning. Im not sure whether a watch is "conditions support..." and a warning is "Theres one out there now".

Its been a howling day with 40 mph winds and torrential rains. We got over 2" on my rain gage. (I forgot to empty it from,ats weeks downpour and we now have SUMULATIVELY over 6" since the beginning of APril. HGAAAAH!

Our power poles up the valley have been bent and we are now on generator power. Ill bet we will be without electricity for two days.
Its ok though, I have enough propane gas to keep us in heat and light for two weeks and they just filled us up on Tues.

WHoa, its really dumping on us now (we have a tin roof so it sounds like hammers pounding on the roofs.

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We are in what they called in the news an historical drought. I can't remember the last time we had a decent shower.

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@farmerman,

Careful love!

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@farmerman,

Quote:

WE are presently under a tornado watch and about 20 miles SW, they are under a tornado warning. Im not sure whether a watch is "conditions support..." and a warning is "Theres one out there now".

Its been a howling day with 40 mph winds and torrential rains. We got over 2" on my rain gage. (I forgot to empty it from,ats weeks downpour and we now have SUMULATIVELY over 6" since the beginning of APril. HGAAAAH!

Update please, farmer.

Is this unusual for your "normal" spring weather?

Good luck. I hope things don't get worse!

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@edgarblythe,

Quote:

We are in what they called in the news an historical drought. I can't remember the last time we had a decent shower.

I can relate to that, edgar.

How is the drought impacting on your daily lives?

Water usage restrictions?

1 Reply

It's raining! It's raining!

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