GRCA monitoring network - water temperature

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River Water Temperature Data

Water temperature in the river system varies with seasonal changes and even throughout the day, warming in the daytime with cooling trends in the evening and overnight.

Water temperature can have an adverse effect on water quality and the water's ability to hold dissolved oxygen. As water warms, it has a reduced ability to retain oxygen.

Large water control structures like Shand Dam can also affect water temperatures in the river. Cooler water is drawn from the lower levels of the Belwood reservoir through the flood control gates of the dam. Discharge from Shand Dam helps cool down river water during the summer months which allows a world class tailwater trout fishery to thrive.

Water temperatures measured in and just below Shand Dam are reasonably constant as a result of the moderating affect of the reservoir. Further downstream, and outside the influence of the reservoir, river water temperatures tend to respond more closely with the daily air temperatures in that area.