Dareton street lighting upgrade

Wentworth Shire Council will be upgrading the street lighting in the commercial area of Tapio Street, Dareton, from Monday 3 May 2021.

The works are expected to take approximately four weeks weather permitting.

Some interruption to through traffic, parking and pedestrian access may occur, with Council undertaking Traffic Control around the site.

Council apologises for any inconvenience that may occur during to these necessary works.

Should you require further information regarding any matter noted in this correspondence, please contact Locky (Roy) Harvey, Wentworth Shire Council Senior Technical Officer in the Roads and Engineering Department on telephone: (03) 5027 5027.

Abbotsford Bridge to close

The Abbotsford Bridge at Curlwaa will be closed in mid-July for up to 10 weeks, weather permitting, as Transport for New South Wales carries out essential maintenance work to upgrade its mechanical lift span.

This work will improve safety and reduce the need for future maintenance on the bridge.

The first stage of the work on the NSW Government funded $2 million project will begin in mid-June, with night closures of the bridge before it is closed 24/7 from mid-July.

Detours will be in place during the work with motorists advised to cross the Murray River via the George Chaffey Bridge between Mildura and Buronga.

For the duration of the project the lift span will not be operational and no maritime vessels will be able to pass under the bridge lift span.

Smaller vessels will still be able to pass underneath the bridge truss spans.

Transport for New South Wales will provide further advice and details closer to the start of works.

Fort Courage Blue-green algae alert

New Blue-green algae red alerts are in place for the Murray River at Fort Courage, Tooleybuc and Euston Weir.

A red alert remains in place on the Murray River from Merbein to Fort Courage.

The red alert for Mildura has been lifted following two consecutive results from Lower Murray Water.

A red alert has also been issued for the Niemur River at Barham – Moulamein Rd, following results from ad hoc sampling last week.

Blooms reported for the Darling River at Menindee and Pooncarie were sampled routinely and low numbers of cyanobacteria were recorded.

Buronga Nature Play Area works ongoing

Algae alerts remain in place

Red alerts remain in place for Blue-green algae on the Murray River at Mt Dispersion and the Murray River downstream from Mildura Marina to Wentworth.

Following recent results at Mildura, the red alert may be reduced if another low result is received next week.

Blooms have been reported for the Darling River at Menindee and Pooncarie.

Sampling was carried out on 6 April although those results are expected early next week.

See https://www.waternsw.com.au/water-quality/algae for more information.

Wentworth region ANZAC Services for 2021

ANZAC Day services will be held in Wentworth, Pooncarie and Curlwaa on Sunday, 25 April.

There will be a Dawn Service in Wentworth at the Civic Centre in Darling Street from 6:00am.

The ANZAC March will be held from 10:45am, starting at the Anglican Church on Darling Street and ending at the Civic Centre, where there will be a second ANZAC Service from 11:00am.

At Pooncarie the assembly for the ANZAC March will be at 10:30am, with the march from the Pooncarie Hotel to the Cenotaph.

A service will be held at the Cenotaph from 11:00am followed by lunch at the Pooncarie Hotel.

At Curlwaa the march will be held from 8:50am at the Curlwaa Memorial Hall, with an ANZAC Service to follow at 9:00am.

All attendees will be required to sign in via QR code, however manual sign in sheets will also be available.

Attendees are asked to remain seated throughout the services and practice social distancing at all times.

A COVID-safe plan for the event has been completed, with hand sanitizer to be provided.

Please stay home if you’re feeling unwell, have been in contact with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case or have returned from overseas in the past 14 days

This event may change or be cancelled at any time under COVID-19 regulations

Red alert for Blue-green Algae in lower Murray River

A red alert level warning (high alert) is currently in place for the Murray River at Mount Dispersion and from downstream of Mildura Marina to Wentworth.

The red alert for Murray River from Red Cliffs to Mildura Marina has been lifted.

WaterNSW and Lower Murray Water will continue to monitor sites in the area and report the results as soon as they become available.

A red alert level warning indicates that people should not undertake recreational activities where they may be coming into direct contact with the water. Contact with the water may also pose a threat to livestock, and pets.

People should not eat mussels or crayfish from Red Alert warning areas.

A precautionary approach should be applied to fishing during bloom events.

Any fish caught should be cleaned and washed thoroughly in uncontaminated water and any internal organs disposed of before consumption.

Fish fillet meals from algal bloom affected areas should be limited to 1-2 servings per week.

Avoiding fishing in a bloom location is the best way to minimise risk, particularly catching and eating fish from locations with severe blooms that last extended periods of time.
Blue-green algae usually appear as green paint-like scums on the surface, near the edges, or as greenish clumps throughout the water.

The water can appear to be dirty, green or discoloured and a strong musty or earthy odour may be noticed.

Potentially harmful algal blooms tend to occur when there are warm water temperatures and sunny days, low turbidity and calm water conditions where water may stratify.

It is not possible to predict how long the algae will remain at high levels.

Regular monitoring will continue, and the alert will be lifted as soon as the high levels of algae dissipate.

People who believe they may have been affected by blue-green algae are advised to seek medical advice.

Updates about blue-green algae blooms and red level warning areas can be obtained by visiting – http://www.waternsw.com.au/water-quality/algae.