Gingin lake given new lease of life

In focus feature article discusses the engineering to control the flow of water into a north Gingin lake where 21 cattle died of botulism nine years ago has succeeded in bringing it back from stagnation. Gingin shire president, Gavin Drew and Gingin land conservation district committee president, John Harper describe Beermullah Lake as a miniature Peel Inlet. When filled with the run-off from nearby Red Gully catchment, the overflow runs into an overflow channel on its north side. This channel leads into Gingin Brook and the Moore River which eventually empties into the sea at Guilderton. The farmer group which became the land conservation committee took action in the winter of 1982 after high levels of phosphates and nitrates were washing into the lake with the run-off water early in the season and staying in the lake. Eric Harris, a Gingin farmer had written to the shire in 1976 warning that algae was forming on the lake and the lake was becoming polluted. The shire sought advice from Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Wildlife and the Lands Department and the best solutions they could offer was to plant some grass around the edge. Harry Whittington, a private consultant was hired by the shire who recommended an engineering approach to try to clean up the lake which was considered worth saving for both conservation and recreation value. Mr. Drew, who was deputy chairman of the new committee when the clean-up began, said that within a year the phosphate level in the lake water dropped and there was no trace of nitrogen. This article contains three photographs, one of a healthy Beermullah Lake; one image of Gavin Drew and John Harper checking the floodgate in the earth bank; one image of Gingin shire president Gavin Drew and land conservation district committee president, John Harper both crouching to inspect the overflow channel. PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to provide a public view of this newspaper article as the copyright is held by the publisher of The Countryman. If you would like to obtain a copy of this newspaper article for research purposes, please ‘request a copy'. This article is part of the WISALTS (Whittington Interceptor Sustainable Agriculture Land Treatment Society Incorporated) Collection