Merrica River is located on the south coast of New South Wales. It is classed as a small creek with an intermittently closed entrance.
This estuary is recognised as near-pristine because it is protected within Nadgee Nature Reserve.
Merrica River
Our water quality monitoring program has shown the Merrica River estuary to have excellent water quality. Find out more about the estuary and its unique features.
Water quality
As part of our water quality monitoring program we assess the water quality and ecosystem health of an estuary using a range of relevant indicators. We sample a subset of the estuaries between Wollongong and the Victorian border every 3 years. The most recent sampling in the Merrica River was completed over the 2008–09 summer when 2 sites were sampled on a monthly basis.
This report card represents 2 water quality indicators that we routinely measure: the amount of algae present and water clarity. Low levels of these 2 indicators equate with good water quality.
The report card shows the condition of the estuary was excellent with:
- algae abundance graded excellent (A)
- water clarity graded excellent (A)
- overall estuary health graded excellent (A).
Find out more about our estuary report cards and what each grade means. Read our sampling, data analysis and reporting protocols and find out how we calculate these grades.
Physical characteristics
Estuary type: Creek
| Entrance location |
Latitude (ºS) | –37.30 |
|---|---|---|
| Longitude (ºE) | 149.95 | |
| Catchment area (km2) | 60.5 | |
| Estuary area (km2) | 0.1 | |
| Estuary volume (ML) | 48.5 | |
| Average depth (m) | 0.4 | |
Water depth and survey data
Bathymetric and coastal topography data for this estuary are available in our data portal.
Land use
The entire catchment of Merrica River is undisturbed forest in Nadgee Nature Reserve.
National and marine parks
- This estuary is situated within Nadgee Nature Reserve.
- This estuary does not flow into a marine park.
Community involvement
- National Parks and Wildlife Service offer many ways for volunteers to get involved in environmental and educational projects in our coastal national parks.
Local government management
Local councils manage estuaries within their area unless the estuary is attached to a marine park.
