Clyde River and Jervis Bay
Water Quality and River Flow Objectives
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At a Glance |
Water Quality and River Flow Objectives for the Clyde River and Jervis Bay catchments
This section gives the Water Quality Objectives (WQOs) and the River Flow Objectives (RFOs) for the Clyde River and Jervis Bay catchments which should be used to develop plans and actions affecting water quality and river health. Only the priority RFOs are listed in this section, but the remaining objectives still need to be considered when developing flow management plans or dealing with particular local river conditions.
Town water supply subcatchments
This category covers subcatchments that typically feed into a town's water supply storage. In many cases, the subcatchment may be declared specially protected to minimise the land-use impacts on water quality.
Map: The objectives apply to streams running through areas coloured light blue on the map.
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
Supporting information
- This category includes Porters Creek Dam.
- To ensure long-term achievement of these WQOs, existing land-management programs aimed at maintaining or improving drinking water quality should continue and be reviewed.
- Town water supplies will not need to be augmented to meet these objectives. However, if augmentation for other reasons is proposed, appropriate levels of protection of low flows should be determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Local factors include maintaining natural flows from springs (groundwater) and effects of land management on volumes and times of runoff, particularly in droughts; flow needs of ecosystems and people within the area; reliability of town supplies; and needs of ecosystems and people downstream.
Mainly forested areas
Streams in mainly forested areas are often valued for their conservation or recreational values. They often have relatively natural flows and water quality. Many are in national parks or state forests.
Map: The objectives apply to streams running through areas coloured green on the map (state forests, national parks and nature reserves); and through other forested areas, if any are defined locally.
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
Supporting information
- This category includes Benandarah, Boyne, Kioloa, Termeil, Yadboro, Flat Rock and parts of Mogo state forests, as well as parts of Budawang and Morton national parks. Where these streams have areas of rural land use upstream, these objectives will need to be protected.
- RFO Manage groundwater for ecosystems applies in areas of groundwater use.
- While there are few instream barriers in waterways in this category, RFO Minimise effects of weirs and other structures is included in case instream structures are proposed in the future.
- There may be locations where Aboriginal communities collect freshwater aquatic foods to be eaten raw. NSW Health recommends against the consumption of raw shellfish harvested on a non-commercial basis and local communities should be made aware of the risks involved.
Waterways affected by urban development
Streams within urban areas that are frequently substantially modified and carry poor quality stormwater. Local communities are, however, often keen to see such streams returned to more natural conditions.
Map: These areas are shown in orange or orange dots on the map.
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
Supporting information
- This category includes streams around Batemans Bay, Sussex Inlet, Ulladulla, Milton, Huskisson, Vincentia, Durras, Kioloa, Bawley Point, Burrill Lake and some areas around St Georges Basin and Swan Lake.
- In some urban waterways aquatic ecosystems are considerably modified. A return to pristine aquatic ecosystems in these areas is unlikely and impractical. However, water quality conditions for existing ecosystems can be improved greatly for the benefit of local species and broader catchment health. Data from other local aquatic ecosystems of similar type, in areas that are not urbanised, may provide achievable criteria for these modified aquatic ecosystems.
- In these catchments, urban development is having significant impacts on estuaries and coastal lakes.
- Impacts on water quality of unsewered areas and stormwater can be significant in various areas throughout the catchment.
Uncontrolled streams
Uncontrolled streams and waterbodies are those that are not in estuaries or in the other categories. Their flow patterns are largely natural but may have been altered to a limited degree.
Map: Uncontrolled streams are shown as blue lines on the map.
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
Supporting information
- Licensed water supply offtake points are at Buckenbowra River (several locations) and Deep Creek Dam (supplies water for Batemans Bay). Particular attention should be paid to maintaining suitable water quality in any areas where town water supplies are drawn from, so that safe supplies can continue to be drawn from these sources and treatment remains effective.
- Many rural dwellers traditionally take drinking water untreated from local streams. There is a widespread community expectation that streams should provide drinking water that does not require disinfection. NSW Health recommends that, at a minimum, all drinking water should be disinfected before consumption. Rural homesteads require good quality water for non-drinking water uses and for drinking with minimal treatment.
- Aboriginal communities indicated their desire to be able to maintain traditional patterns of food gathering. The aquatic foods objective has therefore been included for these waters. Apparently healthy aquatic foods might inhabit these freshwater streams but, because of pollution (especially with faecal bacteria) from diffuse sources, these foods might not be suitable for human consumption if eaten raw. NSW Health recommends against the consumption of raw shellfish harvested on a non-commercial basis and local communities should be made aware of the risks involved.
- Community input identified a number of structures on waterways and streams that can affect river flows and water quality. These include: the Burrill causeway, Porters Creek Dam, the weir on Millards Creek above Ulladulla, and Deep Creek Dam.
Estuaries
Being dominated by saline conditions, estuaries have hydraulic and water quality characteristics, and potential problems, that are often very different from those of freshwater systems
Map: Estuaries are coloured purple on the map.
Water Quality Objectives
Protection of:
River Flow Objectives
Supporting information
- This category includes Batemans Bay, Tomaga estuary, Durras Lake, Willinga Lake, Meroo Lake, Termeil Lake, Tabourie Lake, Burrill Lake, Narrawallee Inlet, Lake Conjola, Swan Lake and Wollumboola Lake.
- Parts of the lower estuarine reaches are underlain by potential acid sulfate soils, which should not be disturbed. Dredging and disturbance of bottom sediments (i.e. those below water level) can also have major impacts in these areas for the same reason.
- All commercially harvested shellfish and mussels in NSW are harvested in accordance with the NSW Shellfish Program.
This page was published 1 May 2006
About the Objectives
