The Water Studies Centre at Monash University has been commissioned to monitor water quality in the Howqua and DelatiteRivers on behalf of Resort Management since 1997. The purpose of this is to assess what impacts, if any, the ongoing operation of the Resort is having on water quality in these rivers.
Most of the monitoring is focussed on the HowquaRiver and involves water sampling at a number of locations. Water quality measurements are taken for:
- Temperature;
- pH
- Electrical conductivity;
- Turbidity;
- Dissolved Oxygen Concentration;
- Total Phosphorous;
- Total Nitrogen;
- Microbiological water quality indicators.
Since the commencement of these studies there have been significant improvements in water quality, due to ongoing improvements to the wastewater treatment plant. The Water Studies Centre at MonashUniversity report no significant change in the nutrient load of the HowquaRiver downstream from the confluence with Black Dog Creek. Despite our good track record, we are committed to further improving our performance in this area. Construction of an ultra filtration plant to treat wastewater for use in snowmaking, as explained below, will further improve the quality of water in the HowquaRiver.
