Weed harvester cleans up Uni lake

Two aquatic weed harvesters have munched their way around the stormwater detention basin beside the University of Southern Queensland’s Fraser Coast campus.

The lake at USQ Fraser Coast is now clear blue

Over the past week the ‘lake’ has changed from a murky red sludge to a clear blue pond.

The work was carried out by the Fraser Coast Regional Council as part of a long-term trial to control water weeds.

The machines harvested water lilies and a bloom of Red Azolla, a native floating fern – one of only six free-floating aquatic fern species.

The fern grows from 1cm to 2.5cm wide and is a bright green colour. Its colour changes to deep red when it is exposed to the sun, thus the name Red Azolla.

Azolla grows in dense patches, which can look like a green or red carpet and can be confused with Salvinia, a noxious aquatic weed.

Prolific growth of the weed can cause problems such as lowering oxygen levels leading to fish kills and the decaying material can produce a strong odour.

The harvested weed is being composted at a Hervey Bay refuse transfer station and turned into mulch.

The council trial will investigate installing aerators in the basins (weeds thrive in poor water quality) and planting trees and reeds around the lake edge to strip nutrients from the water before floating weeds can bloom.


Contact Details:
Katrina Corcoran, USQ Media, +61 7 4194 3167