A FISH KILL has caused dramas for the residents of Kingstown who rely on water from Roumalla Creek.
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At least 70 native Murray cod and Eel-tailed catfish, along with some introduced carp, have died due to poor water quality and a lack of inflow caused by the drought.
Jeff Condren lives in Kingstown and has chased a 30-pound Murray cod in the river that's about 15 to 20 years old that unfortunately died in the fish kill.
"There used to be a lot of fish in there but with the dams on properties holding back water there's no flow in any of the creeks and as a result the fish aren't breeding," he said.
"The water has turned to black water, we would normally pump that out to run through the shower but we can't now.
"I've had to sacrifice rain water to flush the toilets and shower, so we've probably doubled our consumption of usable drinking water - usually it's not a problem but it's turned black and it stinks."
The fish kill took place at the end of November, Mr Condren removed about 20 but a number still remain.
The smaller-scale fish kill is not big enough to warrant clean up by Department of Primary Industries.
Large-scale deaths have short-term impacts on water quality, but the ongoing drought and lack of flow is the biggest threat to Roumalla Creek, a DPI spokesman said.
"Fish death events such as these are unfortunate, however native species have evolved within a highly variable climate and we expect fish communities to recover when rainfall and river conditions improve," he said.
Residents along Roumalla Creek draw from the water source for home use or to supply drinking water to stock.
All the fish are dead, and at the moment the platypus are still alive Mr Condren said.
"It used to be popular for fishing but through the drought it's had very little water in it for a long period of time, so there hasn't been a lot of fish to catch," he said.
"Certainly I've given up on fishing there."
Read also:
The Roumalla Creek fish kill is just the latest in a string of large-scale deaths in rivers across the state.
A mass fish kill at Lake Keepit at the start of the year saw huge numbers of fish die despite the installation of two aeration units.
Near Menindee on the Darling River, three mass fish kills in January affected thousands of fish when temperatures plummeted after days of hot weather.
Madeline Link
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
