Little Para River

Little Para
River
Little Para River, Carisbrooke Reserve, Salisbury Park
Name origin: Kaurna language: Pari, meaning "a stream of flowing water"
Country	Australia
State	South Australia
Region	Mid North
Source	Mount Lofty Range
- location	near Lower Hermitage
- elevation	284 m (932 ft)
Mouth	Gulf St Vincent
- location	Globe Derby Park
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	34°46′S 138°36′E / 34.767°S 138.600°E / -34.767; 138.600Coordinates: 34°46′S 138°36′E / 34.767°S 138.600°E / -34.767; 138.600
Length	29 km (18 mi)
Discharge
- average	3,590 m3/s (126,780 cu ft/s)
Reservoir	Little Para Reservoir
Location of the river mouth in South Australia

The Little Para River is a seasonal creek running across the Adelaide Plains in the Australian state of South Australia, whose catchment fills reservoirs that supply some of the water needs of Adelaide’s northern suburbs.

It runs from its source near Lower Hermitage in the Mount Lofty Ranges, flows north westerly to the Little Para Reservoir and then westerly to the Barker Inlet of the Gulf St Vincent at Globe Derby Park. The lower portion of the river is badly affected by human activity and stormwater runoff but the upper reaches have a good range of biodiversity. The river descends 279 metres (915 ft) over its 29-kilometre (18 mi) course.

As the river flows down from the Adelaide Hills over the Para fault escarpment, it has formed a large alluvial fan on which Salisbury is built. The river is narrow and winding, formerly flooded in heavy rain and rarely reaches its sea outlet. Over time the river has been widened and levees added to reduce this flooding. In the 19th century lack of consistent flow in the river and the absence of an organised water supply system led to the digging of wells. The Little Para refreshes the well's water, mostly held in clay, sand and gravel layers up to 61 metres (200 ft) deep. The Little Para Reservoir is built in the path of the river for water storage and flood mitigation. As the river's catchment is insufficient to fill the reservoir, it is mainly used to store water pumped from the River Murray. Periodically water is released from the reservoir into the river, enabling refreshing of ground water.