Townsville City Council tests water quality of a residential lake after several dead animals found

Townsville City Council officers have been sent to test the water quality of a lake after a horrified resident said he found numerous dead animals on its shore.

Townsville City Council officers have tested the water quality in a local lake after a horrified resident said he found several dead animals on its shore.

Jake Goldring, 18, said he was walking past the man-made Freshwater Lake in Idalia, off Springside Terrace, when he spotted the dead turtles, birds, fish and snakes on October 18.

“Today on my walk along the Idalia lakes had brought an absolute horror to my attention,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

“Dead birds everywhere as well as dead freshwater turtles, a dead pelican, dead snakes and basically anything that uses that water as a source of hydration or as a home.”

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Mr Goldring, who co-founded SnakeFella Wildlife Care with Josh McKendrick, told the Courier Mail he counted 38 turtle shells with skeletal remains inside, but said there were “hundreds of freshwater turtle shells along the bank where the water recedes.”

“There were a few ones still alive, but most were dead,” he said.

He said he also found the remains of about 12 fish, three or four snakes, and 10 bird carcasses scattered around the edge of the lake, and guessed some had been dead for weeks.

Mr Goldring said he, and others, had come across sick or dead birds near the lake in previous months and were concerned it could be a potential health hazard.

“If a child goes into that water and they have an open cut, God knows what they could catch from it,” he said.

“I don’t think people in the area are actually aware of the dangers.”

A Townsville resident said he found these dead turtles, and several other dead animals, at Freshwater Lake in Idalia, near Springside Terrace, on October 18. Picture: Jake Goldring/Snakefella Wildlife Rescue

The teenager said the previous discovery of sick or dead birds had previously been reported to the council.

“I basically thought it was highly preventable. People have tried to raise alarm bells for a long time now,” Mr Goldring said.

“So this has been happening for a least a year now. … but it was never this bad as the water has never been this low.”

A Townsville City Council spokeswoman said a non-toxic algal bloom of pseudo-anabaena had been identified following the testing, but that no “newly dead” animals were found.

“Council staff have been regularly inspecting the wetlands and as a precaution and response to rapid drying out over the weekend – and the presence of the non-toxic pseudo-anabaena found last week – have applied a probiotic ecological stimulate to the water,” she said.

“Council’s water monitoring has shown that the water quality has not declined any more than is normal and would be expected in the tropics.

The spokeswoman told the Courier Mail natural and semi-natural wetlands were prone to drying out as the temperature rose and winds increased in the summer, increasing the chance of algal blooms in the water.

Several dead animals were allegedly found at Freshwater Lake in Idalia, near Springside Terrace, in Townsville on October 18. Picture: Jake Goldring/Snakefella Wildlife Rescue

A written statement posted on the Townsville City Council web site on October 21 said the council was working to enhance water quality in the freshwater lakes in Idalia following recent deterioration.

“Council undertakes regular ecological testing of the lakes, which has identified the deterioration in water quality,” it states.

One of the several dead turtles that were found by a Townsville resident at Freshwater Lake in Idalia, near Springside Terrace, recently. Picture: Jake Goldring/Snakefella Wildlife Rescue

The council spokeswoman said signs had been placed around the lake to warn the community about the water quality and residents were asked to report any dead animals.

“Council’s recent inspections found no newly dead animals and Council asks that if residents do come across dead animals, they contact Council rather than removing the bodies so they can be sent away for testing,” she said.

A large blue-green algal bloom was also detected in the same lake in June.

A June 4 Townsville City Council statement said the bloom was detected following the regular ecological water quality testing program.

“Algal blooms are a common occurrence in tropical waterways,” it said.

“The bloom is likely the result of recent rains flushing nutrients such as lawn fertiliser, grass clippings and soil into the lakes. Blue green algae can cause skin irritations and make pets sick if they drink the water.”

Freshwater Lake in Idalia, Townsville. A resident said he recently found several dead animals in and next to the man-made lake. Picture: Jake Goldring/Snakefella Wildlife Rescue

The statement advises residents to avoid direct contact with the water, to keep pets away from the water and to not eat any fish caught from the lake.

“Very large algal blooms can also lead to a deterioration in water quality which is some cases can cause fish kills,” it said.

In 2019, Idalia residents were also warned to not eat fish caught from any of the lakes in the area as a precaution, following testing for the chemicals per and poly-fluoroalkyl (PFAS).

The chemicals were used in a type of firefighting foam used by the Australian Defence Force (ADF), including by soldiers from nearby Lavarack Barracks, over the years.