GOOLWA- Over 5000 people braved the cold and strong winds on Sunday to attend the rally for the river at Goolwa.
The strong turnout waved banners and signs, "booed" at the mention of COAG and the absent politicians, and bowed their heads in a minute's silence to mark the death of the River Murray.
Chief Executive of the Alexandrina Council, John Coombe, said as the organisers the council were "absolutely thrilled" at the turn out.
"Given the conditions of the day, it was just a fantastic turnout," Mr Coombe said.
"People are concerned, interest in this issue is building all the time.
"This will be an election issue," he added.
Mr Coombe said the Alexandrina Council held a special meeting on Monday morning following the rally, to decided on a strategic attack over the next few weeks.
"We need to keep the community informed as to what we are doing.
"The feeling amongst the community is that they don't want sea water in, they are very supportive of council's request to get flows from upstream."
Mr Coombe said the council "does not" support the building of a weir at Wellington, which the government has already begun preparatory work on.
"There is lots of suggestions about temporary weirs and these proposals are being investigated," Mr Coombe said.
He said preliminary work and advice is being sought on the various proposals with a report due back to the council in the next few weeks.
"We are hoping within the next week or two we will be made aware what these assessments are."
The chair of the State Water Security Technical Group, Andrew Beal, visited the council on Monday and said all recommendations were currently being considered, but no decisions will be made until September.
"All the information is being fed up through the council," Mr Beal said.
"We do appreciate time is of the essence and we are all hoping for fresh water and lots of it.
"But in the event that doesn't happen, people need to understand the consequences of the lakes going acid, it is so catastrophic that letting the salt water in really is the lesser of the two evils.
"The Minister (Karlene Maywald) has made the point that there's a 75 per cent chance of not having to let in sea water, but it is all about probabilities," Mr Beal said.
Speakers at the rally on Sunday included water expert Associate Professor David Paton who said the main issue had been the lack of an environmental flow to the system and pushed for an independent body to manage the river.
"The only way we will save the river is to scrap the current agreements," Dr Paton told the crowd.
"We desperately need an independent body."
A local riverboat veteran, Jock Veenstra, also spoke about diminishing boat numbers and the dramatic amounts of money being lost in the region.
"Goolwa had 1,000 boats five years ago and is now at 500.
"Six million dollars has been lost in the last two years," Mr Veensta explained.
Milang resident Karyn Bradford, fisherman Henry Jones, Senator Nick Xenophon,
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and State Opposition leader Martin Hamilton-Smith also took to the stage and addressed the crowd.
"This is the moment and this is the hour, we must not loose this fight a second time. Let the river flow," Mr Hamilton-Smith said.
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