NSW Water Quality and River Flow Objectives About the Objectives Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water   Select from the scrolling list, statewide map or catchment list Select a catchment Barwon-Darling and Far Western Bega River Bellinger River Border Rivers Brunswick River Camden Haven and Hastings River Castlereagh River Clarence River Clyde River and Jervis Bay Cooks River Georges River Gosford and Northern Beaches Lagoons Gwydir River Hacking River Hawkesbury-Nepean River Hunter River Karuah River and Great Lakes Lachlan River Illawarra Lake Macquarie and Tuggerah Lakes Macleay River Macquarie-Bogan River Manning River Moruya River Murray River Murrumbidgee River and Lake George Nambucca River Namoi River Richmond River Shoalhaven River Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River Towamba and Genoa River Tuross River Tweed River Williams River

Hacking River
Water Quality and River Flow Objectives

| Contents | Background | Consultation | Objectives | WQOs | RFOs | Glossary | Bibliography| Map | At a Glance |

• Mainly forested areas (the Royal National Park)
• Water Quality Objectives
• River Flow Objectives
• Waterways affected by urban development
• Water Quality Objectives
• River Flow Objectives
• Uncontrolled streams
• Water Quality Objectives
• River Flow Objectives
• Estuary
• Water Quality Objectives
• River Flow Objectives

This section gives the Water Quality Objectives (WQOs) and River Flow Objectives (RFOs) for the Hacking River catchment, 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.

Mainly forested areas (the Royal National Park)

Streams in the Royal National Park are highly valued for conservation and recreation. They have relatively natural flows and water quality, although upstream impacts on these need ongoing improvement.

Map: The Royal National Park is coloured green on the map.

Water Quality Objectives

Protection of:

	Aquatic ecosystems
	Visual amenity
	Secondary contact recreation
	Primary contact recreation
	Drinking water at point of supply-Disinfection only

River Flow Objectives

	Protect pools in dry times
	Protect natural low flows
	Maintain wetland and floodplain inundation
	Maintain natural flow variability
	Minimise effects of weirs and other structures

Supporting information

• This category covers the Royal National Park and adjoining forested lands, which accounts for most of the Hacking River catchment.
• The impacts of recreation and feral animals on waters should be managed to conserve the high ecosystem values of the park.
• For drinking water, NSW Health recommends that water should at least be disinfected before consumption. Water quality will need to be maintained at a high level for this use.
• By protecting aquatic ecosystems and water quality suitable for drinking after minimal treatment, water quality will also be protected for human consumers of aquatic foods (for example, fish caught below Audley Weir), and for drinking water for land animals.
• As the upstream section of the river has agricultural and urban areas, ongoing management will be required to achieve the recommended WQOs and RFOs within the national park, especially as they concern aquatic ecosystems, including natural variability in flows.
• River flow has been affected by the construction of weirs. These should be taken into account when addressing the RFOs for this part of the catchment.

Waterways affected by urban development

Streams within urban areas are often substantially modified and carry poor quality stormwater. Many local communities are keen to see such streams returned to more natural conditions.

Map: Urban development areas are shown in orange on the map.

Water Quality Objectives

Protection of:

	Aquatic ecosystems
	Visual amenity
	Secondary contact recreation, as a short-term objective, within 5 years

River Flow Objectives

	Maintain natural flow variability
	Maintain natural rates of change in water levels
	Minimise effects of weirs and other structures

Supporting information

• This category does not include the Port Hacking estuary.
• In some urban waterways, aquatic ecosystems have been considerably modified. A return to pristine aquatic ecosystems in these areas is unlikely and impractical; but water quality 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.
• Flows have been affected by hard-surfacing of extensive areas of land (e.g. by concreting or paving) and by channel modifications. Sewage overflows and leakages and polluted runoff from urban areas are affecting beneficial uses of the estuary, especially at the heads of bays, including Gunnamatta, Yowie and Gymea bays, where tidal circulation is reduced.
• Improvement in water quality and flow regime will be addressed through stormwater management plans. Water quality suitable for primary contact recreation may be achievable in the long term.

Uncontrolled streams

Uncontrolled streams are waterways that are not in the other categories or in the estuary. Their flow patterns are largely natural but may have been altered in some way.

Map: Uncontrolled streams are shown as blue lines on the map.

Water Quality Objectives

Protection of:

	Aquatic ecosystems
	Visual amenity
	Secondary contact recreation
	Primary contact recreation
	Livestock water supply
	Irrigation water supply
	Homestead water supply
	Aquatic foods (cooked)

River Flow Objectives

	Protect pools in dry times
	Protect natural low flows
	Maintain natural flow variability
	Minimise effects of weirs and other structures

Supporting information

• This category covers streams in areas upstream of the Royal National Park.
• Urban and industrial impacts on waters in this area, e.g. in Camp Creek, degrade water quality and other values within the Royal National Park. Further specific programs are needed for this part of the catchment if objectives for these and other waters within the Royal National Park are to be met.

Estuary

As the estuary is dominated by saline conditions, its hydraulic and water quality characteristics and potential problems are often very different from those of freshwater systems.

Map: The estuary is coloured purple on the map.

Water Quality Objectives

Protection of:

	Aquatic ecosystems
	Visual amenity
	Secondary contact recreation
	Primary contact recreation
	Aquatic foods (cooked)

River Flow Objectives

	Maintain wetland and floodplain inundation
	Minimise effects of weirs and other structures
	Maintain or rehabilitate estuarine processes and habitats

Supporting information

• Water flowing out of the Royal National Park is of good quality and helps maintain estuarine health.
• Sewage overflows and urbanised streams affect the quality of water and river flows into the estuarine system of the Hacking River.
• Water quality problems are most severe at the heads of the bays where tidal circulation is reduced and sediment suspended in runoff is deposited.
• 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 have major impacts in these areas for the same reason.

This page was published 1 May 2006