THE recent heavy rains have forced the postponement of this week’s river clean up in Tea Gardens.

A team of divers was scheduled to go below the surface of the Myall River between the Singing Bridge and the Ogden Street Ramp on Wednesday 21 June.

Clean-up Organiser Gordon Grainger told News Of The Area, “The events of the last week have resulted in a large volume of water coming from the catchment area causing increased turbidity.”

“I sought advice from Dr Peter Scanes, the team Leader for Estuaries with the Office of Environment and Heritage, who has technical equipment based in the river measuring salinity levels and turbidity.”

“His advice is that any diver would have visibility problems, even should the rain cease and suggested we defer the clean-up for another week.”

Dr Scanes explained, “At the moment, the tides are unequal (one high is much bigger than the other each day), meaning that the high turbidity is hanging around for even longer in each 24 hours.”

“It would be better to postpone the diving to co-incide with one of the bigger high tides.”

The morning of Wednesday 28 June has now been scheduled for the cleanup.

The Community project was sparked by a MidCoast Council survey of the sea bed earlier this year which discovered things that had no business being in the river from bicycles to shopping trolleys.

MidCoast Council, the Lions Club and the CTC have funded the project.

A number of local boat owners have also offered their services for free along with the Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Surf Club.

A thank you barbecue will be held on the Marine Drive Foreshore after the clean-up.

 

By  Margie TIERNEY