The St Lucia estuary mouth in KwaZulu-Natal has breached naturally after heavy rainfall in the province on April 14, allowing the freshwater to mix with the ocean.
This opening of the estuary into the ocean is a much-disputed topic as farmers and residents nearby want to avoid damage to their properties and crops as a result of a congestion of water, and therefore regularly request that authorities breach the estuary mouth artificially.
Dr Ricky Taylor, a retired park ecologist told the Daily Maverick: ‘I am delighted with the breaching of St Lucia. My hope is that a lot of sediment will scour from the system and the mouth will stay open for long enough for saltwater to enter to re-establish estuarine conditions.’
The breaching of St Lucia and the Umfolozi River into the ocean has various ecological benefits, allowing the ecosystem contained in the estuary to flourish as saltwater pours in. ‘The inhabitants of estuaries are uniquely adapted to live in changing salinities (salt level in the water) as well as changing water temperatures and changing water levels,’ reads CapeNature‘s website.
‘When the mouth bursts open, this mixed water pours into the ocean and deposits nutrients and sand in the near-shore area. These products are critical to the ocean.’
St Lucia is situated in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa’s first World Heritage site.
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