We are proud to deliver the 2020-21 Central Coast Waterways Report Card. The results are certainly something to celebrate, with 75% of sites ranking as either good or excellent, an improvement on 50% from only 2 years ago!
The Waterways Report Card functions like a school report card, giving each of our waterways a score from A (excellent) to F (very poor). We use it to track long-term trends in water quality and ecological health and identify where we need to focus our management actions.
The health of our waterways is dependent on the health of the broader catchment areas - whatever enters our creeks, rivers, groundwater or stormwater ends up impacting on the water quality in our lakes.
This year's results are incredibly encouraging, thanks to significant effort by both Council and the community. Of the testing sites, 82% remained stable or improved from last year, proving that each small action you take, such as picking up your dog poo and lawn clippings, contributes to large scale positive impacts.
The 2020-21 Waterways Report Card for the Central Coast Local Government Area includes Southern Lake Macquarie, Tuggerah Lakes, Brisbane Water, the Lower Hawkesbury River and the coastal lagoons - providing a clear picture of our entire waterways network. The 2020-21 report tells us:
- Of the 36 sites sampled, 25% are excellent (A), 50% are good (B), 25% are fair (C) and none are poor (D) or very poor (E)
- Water quality and ecological health in the three southern bays of Lake Macquarie remained excellent (A) for the fourth consecutive year.
- Tuggerah Lakes scored four 'A' (excellent) rankings for the first time ever, with Canton Beach and Lake Haven jumping from fair (C) to excellent (A)
- Water quality throughout Brisbane Water was graded good (B) with the exception of Kincumber Broadwater which received a fair grade (C)
- Water quality in Avoca Lagoon showed a vast improvement with the overall grade increasing from very poor (F) to good (B).
- Cockrone, Terrigal and Wamberal Lagooons all remained consistent with last year, ranging from A (Excellent) at Cockrone Lagooon to C (fair) at Terrigal and Wamberal Lagoons.
- All sites on the Hawkesbury River remained consistent with last year, ranging from A (excellent) at Patonga Creek to C (fair) at Mooney Mooney Creeke required.
We use this information to track change, help guide our management decisions and identify areas where more detailed catchment audits ar
Let us feed off this positivity as we continue to strive for cleaner waterways. By continuing to work together and each taking care, we can all help to improve and protect our beautiful coastal areas, now and for the future.
More information on Council's management of our estuaries, lagoons and wetlands, can be found on our main webpage and also our dedicated 'Central Coast waterways' website.
