Location:
The River Torrens is situated in the middle of Adelaide. It is the main river in the Torrens Catchment, and all the streams run into it. The river starts in the Mount Lofty region and finishes at the Henley Beach where it empties into the Gulf of St. Vincent.
Activity:
In the city area, many rowers use the Torrens as their training grounds. Many leisure boats, such as Popeye, and fun ships, as shown in the first picture, are also there. There are many major city landmarks around the Torrens, such as the Adelaide Zoo and the Festival Theatre. There is also a footpath and bike trail along the River Torrens. Many locks are placed along the River Torrens to maintain its water level. There is a lot of bird life on the Torrens, but not as much as there use to be.
Problems:
The water in the river Torrens is considered to be unsafe to drink or even swim in. This is mainly due to the commercial and household wastes that are picked up on the way. Often, the Torrens has a foul odour. There are very few fish left in the regions where there used to be many. The colour of the water is extremely distasteful.
Solutions:
A lot of dredging has been done on the Torrens to rid it of all the rubbish at the bottom of the riverbed. Due to the locks on the Torrens, it is very slow flowing. The Torrens has even been drained at one stage in an attempt to clear out all the rubbish but more comes. They have now placed rubbish nets in the streams that lead to the Torrens. Although a lot of money has been put into the Torrens, it is still quite unhealthy to swim in it. Solutions such as building islands to introduce habitats for birds are underway.
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This webpage is made for Thinkquest.
All materials are by the team Limnology: Facts and Fun