Catchment Info

WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN THE MID TORRENS CATCHMENT?

The region of the Mid Torrens Catchment Group Inc covers the middle reaches of the Torrens catchment, including the main channel of the Torrens River between the Gumeracha weir and Kangaroo Creek Dam and encompasses Millbrook and Kangaroo Creek Reservoirs and the sub catchments of Kersbrook and Cudlee Creeks. The annual rainfall is between 600–900ml.

Millbrook Reservoir was constructed between 1914–1918 and has a capacity of 16,500 megalitres of water and covers an area of 178 hectares. For the construction of this reservoir the town of Millbrook was submerged and later Chain–of-Ponds was relocated to prevent pollution to the reservoir.

Kangaroo Creek Reservoir was constructed between 1966 -1969 at a cost of $5.3 million, and has a capacity of 19,160 megalitres of water and covers an area of 103 hectares.

These sub catchments bring over 5600 ML of water to Kangaroo Creek Reservoir each year.

Threat to water quality and biodiversity are therefore a major concern to the communities living in this area, so the Middle Torrens Catchments–Natural Resource Management Plan was devised to improve water quality but still maintain the large tracts of land set aside by S.A. Water and Forestry SA that form a natural corridor of bush land. To add to the area of this corridor many landholders have undertaken revegetation projects to protect native plant, bird and animal species, by further increasing the area of remnant vegetation surrounding those areas. The larger the corridor of native vegetation, the greater the increase in value, of the biodiversity of the area, and the larger number of native birds and animals this area can support. New landholder participation is being sort all the time.