Weed On The Hawkesbury.

[Guest Jocool]

A while ago there was mention in the papers of using a herbicide for clearing up the weed from the Hawesbury. The majority of it was done with mechanical harvesters. The pockets that remained were to be eradicated by herbicides.

At the time...August 5th....I sent of a couple of emails to the government departments, and their corresponding shadows.

Finally...I got a response from the Department of Environment and Conservation. It is duplicated below....

Dear Mr Chidiac

I refer to your email of 5 August 2004 to the Minister for the Environment, the Hon Bob Debus MP regarding the use of chemicals to control Salvinia weed in the Hawkesbury River.  The Minister referred your email to the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and I am replying on his behalf.

Noxious weed management along the River is coordinated by the Hawkesbury-Nepean Aquatic Weeds Taskforce, which is within the portfolio responsibility of the Minister for Primary Industries, the Hon Ian Macdonald MLC.  I have therefore referred your email to him for reply direct to you.  In addition, local landowners and the Hawkesbury River County Council (HRCC), a body established by the four local councils along the River below Penrith, share responsibility for control of declared noxious weeds.

You would be pleased to note that the bulk of the Salvinia weed in the River has been successfully removed using mechanical harvesters, under the management of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).  However, the remaining weed needs to be treated chemically to prevent reinfestation.

The DEC is aware that the proposed use of Reglone to treat the weed has caused community concern, particularly in regard to the need to avoid use of localised areas of the river water for ten days after spraying.  In response to these concerns, the DPI and the HRCC announced on 27 July 2004 that the chemical of choice had been changed from Reglone to Roundup BiActive, which does not require a ten day withholding period.  The DPI obtained a permit to use this chemical from the national pesticides regulatory body, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, and spraying of the remaining pockets of weed commenced on 6 September 2004.

The DEC licences the HRCC and regulates the environmental impacts of its activities, including the potential impacts of herbicide applications. The DEC has recently provided advice to the HRCC about ensuring that the public is aware of the details of proposed herbicide applications, and about water quality monitoring requirements before and during applications.

Thank you for bringing your concerns about this issue to the Minister’s attention.

Yours sincerely

Signed 28/9/04

Jill Pattison

Director Ministerial and Parliamentary Services

cc: Minister for Primary Industries, the Hon Ian Macdonald MLC

[Guest bluecod]

That's a pretty standard bureaucratic brush-off - it'll be interesting to see what MacDonald has to say for himself.

Does anybody know if the HRCC has followed up with the alleged water monitoring during and after applications of the herbicide?

From my limited knowledge of herbicide, Roundup is fairly innocuous as it is ionically drawn to dirt particles and binds to them and has a fairly short active life when exposed to the elements. There still has to be some long term effect on the aquatic environment by introducing additional chemicals particularly to the substrate and algal layer upon which a number of species feed and live.

Whilst this has obviously been a quick fix solution to a prominent problem what are the odds of funds having been allocated by the DPI to long term studies of the effects of the "controlled" spraying.

[Narralakes]

Well done on getting at least some feedback Joe, at least they are taking note. Will be interested to see what happens from here.

BTW, some boys at my school (Boys school at Summer Hill) have the surname Chidiac, wouldnt be related to you would they?

cheers

Narra

[Guest Jocool]

Yeah Ken...will be interesting how they follow up. Apparently there were some tests to follow through. Havent heard anything on that!

As for the surname...Mate Chidiac is like Smith in Lebanon! :confusuion: Don't think I had any relos out that way...but I could be wrong! :thumbsup: