Torrens Swamp...

Anything goes here.. :) Now with Beer Garden for our smoking patrons.
Message
Author
Will
VIP Member
VIP Member
Posts: 5790
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2005 6:48 pm
Location: Adelaide

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#46 Post by Will » Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:33 pm

rev wrote:Honestly, and don't take this as a negative Adelaide bashing comment, but what freaking tourists?
Do people actually believe that our little lake with the ugly festival center behind it and even uglier Hyatt with exposed pipes at its highest points next to bare concrete, are major tourist attractions? Do you think people planning holidays to Australia look at a brochure of Adelaide and see our little water fountain in the lake and some 'paper boats' and think oooohh wooooww we definitely have to see that?
I mean lets be serious now, if it was the Sydney Harbour that was somehow drained, I could understand the commotion, but this is a little polluted lake with not much to do.


.
Don't take this the wrong way but you comment IS an Adelaide bashing. In fact your comment shows everything wrong with this city; the toxic mentality of its people.

The Torrens is not an attraction as such but the people that come here and who want to take a skyline or city perspective invariably head to the Torrens because it is a prominent and picturesque spot to take photos. The Torrens is just as much an attraction as the Swan, Yarra or Derwent.

User avatar
SRW
Donating Member
Donating Member
Posts: 3543
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:42 pm
Location: Glenelg

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#47 Post by SRW » Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:59 pm

Torrens refilling fast with groundwater
ABC News Online, 16 February 2009

Adelaide's drained Torrens lake appears to be refilling naturally.

The South Australian Government is investigating whether water from a quarry can be used to top up the river and city lake.

It was accidentally drained of millions of litres of water last week when a weir gate malfunctioned.

Adelaide's Lord Mayor Michael Harbison says groundwater has been flowing in from upstream.

"There's water going over the weir at Gilberton, there's good water there, so there's a fair bit coming in there," he said.

"The groundwater comes in all the way along its length so there would be groundwater coming directly into the lake itself from underneath as well.

"Six megalitres of groundwater comes into the river course between the hills and the lake. Just how much gets through to the Torrens lake depends on conditions but there's no doubt the lake is refilling fast. I would say it's probably gone up by half a metre."

There is about 2.5 gigalitres of water at the quarry and the Government hopes that some can be diverted into the Torrens.

The City Council says it may have only a week to do remedial work on the lake before it naturally refills.

Mr Harbison says 300 kilograms of rubbish has been removed from the lake bed, including bicycles, shopping trolleys and motor scooters.

"It's a race against time to get the environmental works we'd like to do before the lake fills naturally or before we bring in some water if we can bring it in," he said.
Keep Adelaide Weird

User avatar
monotonehell
VIP Member
VIP Member
Posts: 5466
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 12:10 am
Location: Adelaide, East End.
Contact:

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#48 Post by monotonehell » Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:46 pm

And then again...
ABC News wrote:Groundwater unlikely to fill Torrens: expert
A groundwater expert says the Torrens lake is unlikely to keep filling up naturally from groundwater.

Neil Power from the Environment Department says groundwater from underground aquifers has been responsible for the lake's water level rising by half a metre.

But Mr Power says ground water alone will not be enough to refill the lake.

"There's a number of groundwater aquifers in this area, under the central Adelaide area, and they're under natural pressure, which means that during low river levels for example, they provide a part of base flow into the river, very small amounts" he said.

"Looks like what's happening here now as the water in the lake has declined, then that's allowed more seepage of the groundwater up into the lake.

"What I anticipate may happen is as the water level rises, it'll form a natural equilibrium without the pressure in the aquifers, so it may stabilise rather than continue to rise, but I don't think the natural groundwater itself will solve the problem."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009 ... 492910.htm
:|
Exit on the right in the direction of travel.

UrbanSG
VIP Member
VIP Member
Posts: 1848
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2005 8:55 am

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#49 Post by UrbanSG » Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:01 am

This wouldn't surprise me at all. From adelaidenow:
Lord Mayor hints at Torrens Lake Sabotage
KEN McGREGOR
February 16, 2009 11:15pm

LORD Mayor Michael Harbison has given the strongest indication yet that he believes sabotage was behind the draining of the Torrens Lake on Thursday.

"There is certainly a co-incidence between the occurrence of the blue-green algae outbreak, and only a matter of hours later the lake itself disappears," Mr Harbison said.

"There is certainly speculation (that it was deliberately emptied); there's a lot of ideology involved in this.

"There are those who say the Torrens Lake shouldn't be there, it should be allowed to return to its natural state,"

Mr Harbison said it was "vital" the truth of how the gates mysteriously opened was revealed.

"It is vital that we get to the bottom of what happened.

"What really happened was a flash-flood, it's just fortunate that no one was hurt or killed."

The gates were found open at 8pm last Wednesday by council staff at its Mile End depot.

The operator who made the discovery tried to close the gates but the brakes would not release, the motor malfunctioning a short time later. It is understood at least 50mm of rain would need to fall in the upper Torrens catchment area for the Torrens Lake to flow again.

In a promising sign for Adelaide's aesthetics as it enters its festival period, groundwater over the length of the Torrens Valley has replenished about a quarter of the lost water.

The Adelaide City Council and the State Government yesterday held discussions over the possibility of a pipeline to carry water from a quarry at Highbury to re-fill the Torrens Lake.

Flinders University Professor Mike Young said if the pipeline solution cannot be implemented quickly than it would be a waste of time, water and money.

"The critical point is time. It's mid-February now and if it takes until April and it starts raining before then, then there is no point," he said.

Hydrologist Professor Craig Simmons said the groundwater could not re-fill the lake to its previous levels.

"The lake's natural state is largely surface water, my gut feeling is the lake will not re-fill itself with groundwater," Mr Simmons said.

The clean-up of the lake bed continued yesterday with more than 300kg of rubbish, as well as a car body, collected over the weekend.

User avatar
Clr Yarwood
High Rise Poster!
Posts: 161
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:00 pm

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#50 Post by Clr Yarwood » Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:50 am

Yes, it was me – I dreamt I was sleepwalking and flushed the toilet – how wrong was I! Seriously…

Aggressive comments regarding the council being imbeciles demonstrate a misinformed and uneducated view on the role of elected officials.

Councillors should have nothing to do with operational matters as we are supposed to be thinking strategically - the big picture. If your elected officials were thinking of operational matters, and there are many 1000’s, you would be entitled to be MORE worried about the future of this state.

Pistol - the Torrens is not used for the parklands or golf course in such months – if you are going to call people imbeciles it best not prove you are devoid of the facts. Furthermore there has been no bickering but swift action to undertake the clean – your negative statements, all of which are 100% wrong, are more a part of the problem than Adelaide City Council's efforts to make this state great.

I say optimism and believing you can be a part of the solution, rather than just standing on the side having a whinge when you don’t have any of the facts, is how South Australia will become a great place. I salute my fellow councillors for being prepared to stand up for what they believe in and take the opportunity to make informed decisions.

This sort of shit does not happen every day down at the Adelaide City Council chambers - so get over yourself and chose to make informed and intelligent statements.

Yes there was an error, be it human or technological. Errors actually happen all the time. When you are dealing with a city organisation of around 1000 staff, they are inevitable. Who here does not make at least one good mistake a year??!!

The most important issue is to:

a/learn from the mistake; and
b/seize the opportunity to clean it up. On that note:

• 6 Tonnes of rubbish have been removed.
• Carp is being eradicated
• Appropriate water planting will be undertaken
• Local animal life is being monitored – especially the local turtles
• Council staff have been working overtime to take advantage of the opportunity.

You will note that the level has risen dramatically from underground sources– over ½ a meter in fact. We are also looking into accessing water from a disused quarry and a decision will be made once the water has been cleared as safe to use. Staff are working overtime to get the best result and should be commended for their efforts.

Nearly 200 people died in Victoria yet people are not calling that an organisational government stuff up? Furthermore, the plain reality is we are living through the worst drought in settlement history and simply filling the Torrens up so it looks nice is neither practical or moral. I would have thought the fact we have ensured a full lake all day every day 99.9999% of the time during such a drought was a good effort.

Adelaide is listed as one of the top 10 most liveable cities in the entire world – anyone that is complaining about Council being substandard in my opinion needs to get out more – you live in a dream world/fantasy land and not only offend me, but also the billions of people that do not live in such wonderful urban environs.

Having travelled far I can confirm Adelaide is paradise – a great place to live. All of those that complain do, after all, choose to live here because it offers some benefit!

The biggest problem with this state is people that whinge, not council or the state government. Be positive and look for opportunities - because then we can be the change we want to see in our local community!
Councillor Stephen Yarwood
Candidate for Lord Mayor
Adelaide City Council

http://www.StephenYarwood.com

User avatar
stelaras
High Rise Poster!
Posts: 461
Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 3:49 pm
Location: melbourne (born and raised in adelaide)

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#51 Post by stelaras » Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:48 pm

Well said Clr Yarwood..

I am sure these are not the feelings or views of everyone on this site and to extrapolate further, this state.

As an ex-Adelaidean i am proud of this city and can see the progress made in the last 6 years that i have been away. We are a small city in size and population and as such can not be expected to build grandiose monuments and buildings, especially when demand is not there.

"One has to crawl before walking and walk before running" is what my dad says...


Clr Yarwood, there are always going to be whingers and whiners in this state but the most of us can see where the city has gone in recent times, hopefully the momentum can continue.

User avatar
SRW
Donating Member
Donating Member
Posts: 3543
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:42 pm
Location: Glenelg

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#52 Post by SRW » Tue Feb 17, 2009 3:37 pm

Clr Yarwood wrote: I say optimism and believing you can be a part of the solution, rather than just standing on the side having a whinge when you don’t have any of the facts, is how South Australia will become a great place.
C'est vrai!
Clr Yarwood wrote: • 6 Tonnes of rubbish have been removed.
• Carp is being eradicated
• Appropriate water planting will be undertaken
• Local animal life is being monitored – especially the local turtles
• Council staff have been working overtime to take advantage of the opportunity.
This is great to hear, thumbs up to all the staff.
Keep Adelaide Weird

User avatar
Xaragmata
Super Size Scraper Poster!
Posts: 1613
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 2:08 pm
Location: Adelaide / West
Contact:

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#53 Post by Xaragmata » Tue Feb 17, 2009 4:22 pm

Clr Yarwood wrote:Yes, it was me – I dreamt I was sleepwalking and flushed the toilet – how wrong was I! Seriously…

Aggressive comments regarding the council being imbeciles demonstrate a misinformed and uneducated view on the role of elected officials.
[snip]
Yes there was an error, be it human or technological. Errors actually happen all the time. When you are dealing with a city organisation of around 1000 staff, they are inevitable. Who here does not make at least one good mistake a year??!!

The most important issue is to:

a/learn from the mistake; and
b/seize the opportunity to clean it up. On that note:
I went for a long walk Saturday from Elder Park Cafe (which seemed to be enjoying good patronage) along the river
to the weir & rail bridges (many years since I walked that far) & there were plenty of people walking, cycling & taking
pics of the near empty lake. I have some shots from mid 1979, with the lake drained, and again a few weeks later
with the lake full, and the Torrens a raging torrent at the base of the weir. My only sympathy of course is for the
Popeye / hire boat / gondola operators & rowing clubs - apart from that I made the most of the empty lake, along
with quite a few others.

User avatar
Wayno
VIP Member
VIP Member
Posts: 5138
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:18 pm
Location: Torrens Park

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#54 Post by Wayno » Tue Feb 24, 2009 5:36 pm

100mm of rain to refill Torrens

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009 ... 499947.htm
The weather bureau in Adelaide says at least 100 millimetres of rain would be needed to restore a water flow from the Torrens catchment area.

Adelaide City Council says it will let rainfall refill the Torrens lake, which drained this month when a weir gate malfunctioned.

Senior forecaster Paul Lainio says significant downpours would be needed to restore the normal flow.

"A local fall of 10, 20, 30 millimetres could have an effect, but to actually see the rivers or creeks that feed the Torrens flowing from the upper catchments we'd need around about 100 millimetres or so over a broader area," he said.

"The amount of rain needed to get the streams flowing, normally we would see those sort of rains occurring during, I guess mid- to late-winter we should have wetted up enough to begin to see some decent stream flows.

"So it's still quite a while under normal circumstances before we see the decent stream flows."
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

rev
SA MVP (Most Valued Poster 4000+)
Posts: 6000
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 12:14 pm

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#55 Post by rev » Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:52 pm

Will wrote:
rev wrote:Honestly, and don't take this as a negative Adelaide bashing comment, but what freaking tourists?
Do people actually believe that our little lake with the ugly festival center behind it and even uglier Hyatt with exposed pipes at its highest points next to bare concrete, are major tourist attractions? Do you think people planning holidays to Australia look at a brochure of Adelaide and see our little water fountain in the lake and some 'paper boats' and think oooohh wooooww we definitely have to see that?
I mean lets be serious now, if it was the Sydney Harbour that was somehow drained, I could understand the commotion, but this is a little polluted lake with not much to do.


.
Don't take this the wrong way but you comment IS an Adelaide bashing. In fact your comment shows everything wrong with this city; the toxic mentality of its people.

The Torrens is not an attraction as such but the people that come here and who want to take a skyline or city perspective invariably head to the Torrens because it is a prominent and picturesque spot to take photos. The Torrens is just as much an attraction as the Swan, Yarra or Derwent.
Better views of the whole cbd from the hills particularly the mt lofty look out, and it actually looks like a major city skyline from up there.

Anyway, I was thinking what could improve the Torrens as an attraction.
I don't know if this would be feasable or even do able, but why not take the opportunity now its empty to deepen it a couple meters, and then create an aquarium along the side of the torrens? Due to the unclear water, the aquarium would be "glassed" off with suitable water for marine life. So basically people would enter from the river bank, go underground, and walk under the torrens water surface surrounded by the enclosures full of different marine life from around the world or something.

ricecrackers
Banned
Banned
Posts: 504
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:47 pm

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#56 Post by ricecrackers » Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:28 pm

they should let it run dry and return the land to the parklands
If 50 million believe in a fallacy, it is still a fallacy..." Professor S.W. Carey

User avatar
Howie
VIP Member
VIP Member
Posts: 4871
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 3:55 pm
Location: Adelaide
Contact:

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#57 Post by Howie » Tue Mar 03, 2009 6:21 pm

Looks like the rain has saved us. As of now it's full again! :D

User avatar
monotonehell
VIP Member
VIP Member
Posts: 5466
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 12:10 am
Location: Adelaide, East End.
Contact:

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#58 Post by monotonehell » Tue Mar 03, 2009 7:41 pm

Howie wrote:Looks like the rain has saved us. As of now it's full again! :D
I didn't spend 30 days in the US learning that rain dance from the Cherokee Nation for nothing.

Didn't some expert below say we needed 100mm? According to my rain gauge we had 20mm, over the past two days.


Edit: not quite full, but enough to cover the mud flats...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009 ... 506383.htm
Rain tops up Torrens by 50cm

The Adelaide City Council says overnight rain has topped up the Torrens lake by half a metre.

The lake was drained last month after a weir malfunction released thousands of litres of water into the sea.

Adelaide received a total of nine millimetres of rain, recorded just after 10:30am.

The Lord Mayor, Michael Harbison, says the increased water level has helped crews clean up the lake.

"Now that we got have some water covering over the mudflats, they can get across to the very large objects like tree stumps and so on and get them out too," he said.
Exit on the right in the direction of travel.

User avatar
Howie
VIP Member
VIP Member
Posts: 4871
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 3:55 pm
Location: Adelaide
Contact:

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#59 Post by Howie » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:10 pm

Looked pretty full from about 6pm tonight... all the boats were floating again!

User avatar
Wayno
VIP Member
VIP Member
Posts: 5138
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:18 pm
Location: Torrens Park

Re: Torrens Swamp...

#60 Post by Wayno » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:32 pm

do any Adelaide webcams show the Torrens?
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests