The Dee River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...
located in
Central Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, Australia.
Course and features
Part of the
Fitzroy River system, the Dee River rises in the Razorback Range south of
Bouldercombe Gorge Resources Reserve near Mount Gavial, south of . The river flows generally south by west through the mining settlement of , Waluml and , where the river is crossed by the
Burnett Highway
The Burnett Highway is an inland rural highway located in Queensland, Australia. The highway runs between its junction with the Bruce Highway at Gracemere, just south of Rockhampton, and Nanango. Its length is approximately 542 kilometres. The ...
. The river is joined by seven minor
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
including Limestone Creek, Horse Creek, Hamilton Creek, Nine Mile Creek, Boulder Creek, Oaky Creek and Pruce Creek. The Dee River forms its
confluence with the
Don River
The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire.
Its ...
near
Rannes.
The largest dam on the river is
Number 7 Dam, built for the
Mount Morgan Mine
Mount Morgan Mine was a copper, gold and silver mine in Queensland, Australia. Mining began at Mount Morgan in 1882 and continued until 1981.
Over its lifespan, the mine yielded approximately of gold, of silver and of copper. The mine was ...
, which has a history of acid mine discharge from gold and copper mining entering the Dee River.
Mine pit
In January 2013, the mine pit overflowed.
Approximately of rain fell after ex-tropical
Cyclone Oswald
Tropical Cyclone Oswald in 2013 was a tropical cyclone that passed over parts of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia over a number of days, causing widespread impact including severe storms, flooding, and water spouts. Coastal regions ...
resulted in the
2013 Eastern Australia floods. Towards the end of February the dam was spilling acid and heavy metals into the river.
Concerns regarding the discolouration of the river's water and fears of contamination causing irreversible damage to the river were raised in mid-2011.
See also
*
Reference
{{Rivers of Queensland
Rivers of Queensland
Central Queensland