Denmark River

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Denmark River
Denmark River South Coast Highway Bridge Denmark
Origin	near Pardelup ^[1]
Mouth	Wilson Inlet
Basin countries	Australia
Length	60 kilometres (37 mi)
Avg. discharge	30,584 ML/year ^[2]
Basin area	800 square kilometres (197,684 acres)

The Denmark River is located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The river rises near Pardelup and meanders in a southerly direction until it flows into Wilson inlet (along with the Hay River). The river was named after a physician Dr Alexander Denmark of the British Fleet by the rivers discoverer Dr Thomas Braidwood Wilson who explored the area in 1829 while his ship was being repaired in Albany. A surveyor noted in 1833 that the local aborigines, the Noongar, called the river "Koorrabup" that means "Place of the Black Swan". ^[3]

[edit] Salinity

The river's water quality has declined as a result of land clearing in the catchment area. It is estimated that 40% of the upper catchment area has been cleared and as a result salinity levels increased from 40mg/L in the 1940s to when the rivers salinity levels peaked at 1520 mg/L in 1987 at the Mt Lindesay gauging station but now has an average of 700 mg/L and is a target level for the future has been set at 500mg/L.^[4] In 2004 it was announced that salinity levels in the river were decreasing, believed to be the first major river in Australia tht had shown a reversal in salinity trends, and that it is possible that the river could provide drinking quality water in the future.^[5]