BY DAKOTA TAIT
Citizen scientists are calling for more research into thermal pollution in the wake of a mass fish kill at Mannering Park in August.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) concluded earlier this week, the mass death was sparked when winds and cooler weather met the warmer water temperatures cause by the discharge of Vales Point Power Station, overturning the water column.
The Hunter Community Environment Centre (HCEC) agrees with the EPA's verdict, but argues it's a sign more research into the issue is needed.
Senior Researcher Paul Winn says it's already having an impact.
"That thermal pollution is already known to have caused the almost total loss of seagrass in Wyee Bay, and the EPA reacted to that loss, and reduced its thermal pollution," he said.
"But what we're mostly concerned about is the impact on the broader ecosystem - the impact on the fishing, on the fish species, and the species mix that we're going to get."
It's likely a number of tropical species attracted by or adapted to the warmer water in the bay were also shocked by the event.
The EPA says it has deployed a smart buoy at Wyee Point to monitor the lake, but the HCEC is pushing for a full study.
"When these power stations were built, they were built just to make power," Mr Winn said. "They didn't really care whether they were going to have an impact or not."
"Now I think people have moved since then, and we expect a lot more from our industries and we expect more from our regulators. We want to make sure these industrial plants are going to be able to continue to be operated, up until their closure date, in a safe manner."
Vales Point Power Station is due to close its doors in 2029, though Delta Electricity has indicated in the past it would seek to extend its lifespan.
Mr Winn says simply closing the station won't resolve the issue, however.
"At some stage this power station is going to close," he said. "And the concerns that we have for this closure is that this thermal pollution, these ecosystems have adapted to to some degree over the years, with the introduction of eagle rays and green turtles."
"If that thermal pollution is turned off when the power station closes, we're likely to see a much larger and broader fish kill, because those warmer adapted species aren't going to be able to survive any more."
"We need to reduce that thermal pollution over some period of time, to allow those species and those ecosystems to adapt, and that's currently not being contemplated by either the EPA or the power station."
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| Image credit: Hunter Community Environment Centre. |
