Central Irrigation Trust chief executive officer Greg McCarron said receding floodwater is affecting water quality for about 1600 irrigators and 3000 other customers including households, council parks and industry.

While SA Health and Water and Environment Department staff are closely monitoring the water quality, McCarron said the current water being delivered is still safe for human use in showering.

But he warned that the trust’s 13 pump stations, stretching from north of Renmark to Mypolonga upstream from Murray Bridge, directly pump unfiltered river water to consumers and is not suitable for drinking water.

“We don’t treat that water, 97 per cent of our water is used for irrigation but we also have a significant number of domestic households, wineries and schools who are customers,” he said, adding that the Trust’s consumers sourced drinking water from rain tanks or other sources.

“Water is coming from the flood plains into the river, it is bringing more organic matter and more turbid rotting plant matter, raw fish, dead fish, earth and sand, and it’s discolouring the water.”

Households using the current irrigation trust water for showering or dishwashing are reporting dirty and smelly water streaming out of taps.

One Riverland resident quipped on social media “I had a bath last night. Think I was dirtier when I got out”.

McCarron said higher levels of organic matter in the water were also leading to irrigators having to more frequently change filters on their own property pumps to ensure water quality was sound before it reached crops.

River Murray water flooded vines near Blanchetown as flows peaked. Photo: Belinda Willis/InDaily

Central Irrigation Trust is based in Barmera, and pumps water from the River Murray through large diameter pipeline systems to 1600 growers who irrigate 14,000 hectares of horticultural crops in 12 private irrigation districts.

The regions include Berri, Cadell, Chaffey, Cobdogla, Kingston, Loxton, Moorook, Mypolonga, Waikerie, Lyrup, Golden Heights and Sunlands.

Households serviced by the trust are outside of River Murray towns, with town water provided by SA Water mains.

Senior manager of Media, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Joshua Zugajey said SA Water had not needed to implement any additional filtration.

“Our water treatment plants are designed to cope with a range of water quality challenges and they are continuing to perform well,” he said.

“With continued poor river water quality on the horizon, it remains possible we may face a challenge with the most likely impact being slight taste and odour changes.”

An SA Water statement on its website said there could be incidents related to blackwater as organic matter increases in the water.

“We are experienced in managing the impacts of blackwater, with our water treatment plants designed to manage a range of water quality challenges,” the statement said.

“However, if water quality in the river deteriorates beyond a level our treatment plants can manage, you may notice temporary changes to the taste and smell of your drinking water supply.”

SA Water is also regularly flushing fresh water through its pipeline network to help “optimise water age and ensure a safe disinfection residual throughout the entirety of the pipeline.”

Meanwhile, the South Australian Produce Market and State Government are partnering with Adelaide United Football Club to hold a charity soccer match to support primary producers through the Rural Business Support Relief Fund as they struggle with the impacts of River Murray flooding.

A charity match will pit produce market’s chief executive officer Angelo Demasi and a team of growers, wholesalers and retailers against South Australian ministers and politicians from both sides of the house.

“Recovery from these floods will take months and in some cases, years,” Rural Business Support chief executive Brett Smith said.

“Money raised through the SA Flood Recovery match will be used by our Relief Fund to assist farming families who are already doing it tough and have been impacted by a natural disaster – like the River Murray flood – to meet their everyday needs, such as putting food on their tables, while they recover from the event.”

The two teams will play a pre-match curtain raiser game ahead of the Adelaide United versus Western Sydney Wanderers game at Coopers Stadium on Sunday, February 19.