YOUNG RIVER DETECTIVES HELP PROTECT THE MOORABOOL RIVER

Students from Covenant College in Geelong are diving into their water quality monitoring program for 2024. As part of the school’s Community Service Program, Year 9 students are engaging with their local environment and communities. Having developed a partnership with the Batesford Fyansford Stonehaven Landcare Group, students are working alongside volunteers to enhance the health of the Moorabool River.
 
During visits to the Dog Rocks Flora and Fauna Reserve with Corangamite Catchment Management Authority staff, students and volunteers collect water quality data to enable the ongoing monitoring of the Moorabool River’s waterway conditions and fluctuations over time.

At a recent excursion to the banks of the Moorabool River they tested for pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, phosphorus and turbidity. Students and volunteers will return in the coming weeks to conduct macro-invertebrate (water bug) surveys. By combining the data from the two surveys, we will gain an insight into both physical and biological river health indicators.

Linking young people to their local waterways, the River Detectives program offers a hands-on, enjoyable pathway to discovering connections between water, land, plants, animals people and communities. 

This activity is working towards a vision of 'Healthy People, Healthy Environment and Healthy Culture' in the Living Moorabool flagship. Visit here to find out more about the flagship project.