River Torrens business BBQ Buoys losing bookings over rubbish-filled river

Dead fish, floating litter, algae and weeds in the Torrens are causing a stink, with one business losing bookings because of the pollution. Picture: 7 News

A River Torrens tourist operator is losing bookings after storms washed rubbish down the waterway.

Passers-by have noticed the putrid conditions of the River Torrens in recent days, including thick algae, rubbish, weeds, dead fish and unpleasant smells.

A woman who passes the river on the way to work every day contacted The Advertiser, saying the state of the river is embarrassing, given it’s a major tourism drawcard for Adelaide.

“The weeds are so thick near the oval footbridge that the ducks can almost walk across themselves,” the woman said.

Andrea Escalante, who owns BBQ Buoys, a service that offers customers a lunch and boat ride service on the river, said a booking of 10 people has cancelled for the coming weekend due to the pollution.

Supplied Editorial Litter at the River Torrens from recent rain. Picture: 7 NEWS

“He asked to put the booking on hold until the situation improves,” Ms Escalante said.

Another customer took to social media to complain about the pollution, saying the smell of the river was “disgusting”.

Ms Escalante said she worried if the river was not cleaned frequently, it would affect future bookings.

“We don’t really know how many people haven’t made a booking due to the pollution, that’s my worry.”

Propellers on the boats are affected by the thick algae and increased pollution too, and boats stopped moving almost every day last week because of it, she said.

Ms Escalante said she should not need to contact Adelaide Council to fix the problem.

“We shouldn't have to request, they should do it proactively.

“We are directly impacted, and so is the City of Adelaide … it’s not the image we want.”

A Captain Jolley’s Paddle Boat driver who did not wish to provide his name said the river was a mess.

“It was already here (the pollution) before that big storm, and then that rain brought a whole lot more over,” he said.

Supplied Editorial Litter at the River Torrens from recent rain. Picture: 7 NEWS

He said people comment on the state of the river every day.

“Every second person comments,’ Who cleans the river? Or doesn’t clean the river’”.

Michelle English, from Adelaide City Council, said the pollution was because of the heavy rain.

“Our crews were on site from January 28 to start cleaning debris from the lake and removing fish that had perish (mainly european carp and catfish) before they became a health risk,” Ms English said.

“We will review the latest results of our water analysis and are continuing to monitor the river and removing perished wildlife, litter, and other debris as required.”