River samples reveal poor water quality
Amanzimtoti river received a score of 5.7 denoting highly modified and poor water quality for a rocky type river.
MEMBERS of Toti Conservancy received training at Amanzimtoti River to determine the health of the river on Wednesday, 11 March.
Some 11 people received training from GroundTruth, an environmental consulting company.
The Stream Assessment Scoring System (SASS) developed by Ground Truth in the mid 1990s, is a learning tool for people to monitor the health of rivers in their community. Samples were taken of the river to determine the water quality and what organisms are present in the river. MiniSASS is a simplified scoring system used by people in communities to monitor rivers. Toti Conservancy chairman, Laura Taylor attended the training. “The aim of the training session was to create environmental awareness. We would also like to involve three schools in the project for one year,” said Taylor.
Amanzimtoti river received a score of 5.7 denoting highly modified and poor water quality for a rocky type river. The highest score for this type of river is 7.9. “I’m amazed at how many organisms we found in the river,” said Taylor.
An official catchment management forum was formed in Amanzimtoti in February. These were started by the Department of Water and Sanitation to assist in the management of catchment areas. The catchment management forum meets every three months. At their next meeting Taylor will present the MiniSASS results to the forum.
For more information about miniSASS, contact Laura Taylor on 031-903-1961 or email envirosus@connect.co.za.
