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Hawkesbury-Nepean River

At the time the interim environmental objectives were approved by the Government (September 1999) the Healthy Rivers Commission (HRC) had completed or substantially completed public inquiries for the catchments of the Clarence, Hawkesbury-Nepean, Williams and Shoalhaven rivers. Interim environmental objectives are not provided here for those four catchments, or for the Woronora sub-catchment for which an inquiry was well under way before the commencement of a wider inquiry into the whole Georges River–Botany Bay system.

Healthy Rivers Commission Inquiries

The Healthy Rivers Commission was established in 1995 (under section 23 of the Pollution Control Act 1970) by the NSW Government as one element of water reforms. The Commissioner for Healthy Rivers is to make recommendations to Government on:

suitable objectives for water quality, flows and other goals central to achieving ecologically sustainable development in a realistic time frame
the known or likely views of stakeholder groups on the recommended objectives
the economic and environmental consequences of the recommended objectives
and strategies, instruments and changes in management practices needed to implement the recommended objectives.

The Commission does this through conducting independent public Inquiries for selected rivers. The Inquiries assist the community to consider, in detail, the options that are available in terms of river health and the use of river resources for commercial and recreational purposes.

The interim environmental objectives described on the EPA website will apply until the NSW Government either

adopts the longer-term objectives resulting from recommendations by the Healthy Rivers Commission, or
approves a river management plan for the catchment through the Ministers for Land and Water Conservation and for the Environment. In this case, the environmental objectives would apply for the duration of the plan, subject to review and audit.

Reports on the Commission's inquiries and details of inquiries can be found on the Healthy Rivers Commission website. The Commission now publishes discussion papers and reports on its website and in printed form.

For more information, see the Healthy Rivers Commission website: http://www.hrc.nsw.gov.au