CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF RIVERS AND LAKES 



G31 



Table 56. — Some analyses, in parts per million, of reservoir ivaters 

 from South Aitslralia 



A. Happy Valley Reservoir, River Cenluapaninga. 



B. Millbrook Reservoir, River Torrens. 



C. Raroota Reservoir. 



D. Barossa Reservoir. 



E. Beetaloo Reservoir. 



F. Bundaleer Reservoir. 



O. Hindmarsh Valley Reservoir. 



II. Tod River Reservoir. 



the tributary rivers to reach the lake basin and fill it 

 with water. The amount of chloride falling on interior 

 Australia in the form of rain is quite adequate to 

 account for most of the chloride carried in the rivers 

 (Anderson, 1945) even without taking into account the 

 amount precipitated during fine weather, but there is 

 no assurance that the atmospheric chloride is of imme- 

 diate marine origin (Hutton and Leslie, 1958). In- 

 terior Australia includes many extensive dry lake beds, 

 the salts of which are the final precipitates of highly 

 evolved waters, and it is possible that most of the 

 meteoric chloride is derived from dust blown off the 

 dry salt deposits. Most Australian workers seem 

 convinced of the marine origin of much of the mineral 

 material in the waters of Australia, apparently because 

 the concentrated waters are similar to sea water in 

 composition. It must be noted, however, that in other 

 parts of the world, such as the U.S.S.R., where the 

 meteoric salts are in terrestrial proportions rather than 



marine proportions, similar evidence is construed to 

 indicate a terrestrial origin of the dissolved substances 

 in surface waters. Without balance sheets for the net 

 flow of atmospheric mineral material across the coast- 

 line, it is not possible to come to firm conclusions from 

 such evidence. 



Analysis P (table 57) is of some interest because it 

 comes from a locality in the extreme north of Aus- 

 tralia. Less complete analyses from the same area 

 suggest that the sodium chloride is not commonly this 

 high. This is a coastal locality and sea spray is 

 undoubtedly important. 



The report of the Government Chemical Labora- 

 tories of Western Australia (1949) contains fragmentary 

 analyses for many waters of Australia. 



Although the water chemistry of no river in Africa, 

 not even the Nile, is adequately known, there has been 

 a great increase in the amount of information about the 

 chemistry of these waters since the last edition of this 

 book was published, and information is being accumu- 

 lated actively at the present time. 



Some analyses for the Nile system are presented in 

 table 58, and others may be found in Aladjem (1926) 

 and in the earlier editions of this book. It is interesting 

 to note the very low sulfate of the White Nile. Much 

 interest has been aroused by the low sulfate content of 

 the waters of East Africa, and it has been claimed, 

 particularly by Beauchamp (1953), that this ion is 

 scarce enough to limit biological productivity. The 

 analyses gathered together in table 58 suggest that 

 sulfate is actually much more abundant than has been 

 believed and it is unlikely that most aquatic organisms 

 suffer a serious shortage of it in East Africa. 



A. Murray River at Tocurmval. Anderson (1945). 



B. Murray River above Mildura. Anderson (1945). 



C. Murray River at Merbein, Apr. 1928. Anderson (1945). 



D. Murray River at an unspecified place in South Australia. Unpublished analy- 



sis by South Australian Engineering and Water Supply Dept. 



E. Yarra River at Warrandyte. Mean of 2 analyses. Anderson (1945). 



F. O'Shannassy River aqueduct. Anderson (1945). 



G. Latrobe River above Rosedale. Anderson (1945). 



H. Canning River, Western Australia, Oct. 1923. Anderson (1945). 

 I. Inlet to Mount Eliza Reservoir near Perth. Mean of 8 analyses. Unpublished 



data provided bv the Government Chemical Laboratories, Perth. 

 J. Lateral 13, Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, New South Wales. This is essen- 



tially Murrumbidgee River water. Mean of 9 analyses, 1945-46. Cassidy, 



1949, p. 2. B<0.1. 

 K. Center Madigan Gulf, Lake Eyre, Oct. 26, 1950. Analysis by T. W. Dalwood. 



This and the other Lake Eyre analyses are from Bonython, 1955. 

 L. Level Post Bav, Lake Eyre, Feb. 11, 1951. Analysis by S. M. Shepard. 

 M. Level Post Bay, Lake Evre, May 24, 1951. Analvsis by T. R. Frost. Br-i 



<0.01. 

 N. December Water Station, Lake Eyre, Dec. 13, 1951. Analysis by S. M. Shepard 

 O. Burnett River, Cassidy (1944, sample 576). 

 P. Narau Beak, Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. Mar. 16, 1949. Unpublished 



analysis by the Irrigation and W'ater Supply Comm., Brisbane. 



