Tuggerah Lake Ourimbah Creek
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Locations of Water Quality Programmes Elizabeth Bay Spring Creek San Remo LLake Munmorunmorah Wallarah Creek Budgewoi Budgewoi Sandmass Gorokan Warnervale Budgewoidgewoiwoi Lakek Kanwal Toukley Wyong River Norah Head Rocky Pt Tuggerah Bay TuggerTuggerah Lake Ourimbah Creek Chittaway Bay Streambank Rehabilitation and Erosion Control Berkeley Vale The Existing Recreational Water Quality Sites Entrance New Recreational Water Quality Sites Tumbi Creek Long Retrofit Stormwater Controls in existing areas Jetty New Urban Stormwater Priorities Saltwater Creek Bateau Bay Snapshot of the Tuggerah Lakes Estuary Management Plan 11 Maintaining good There are a number of goals 1. Improve quality of stormwater from the catchment that we need to achieve over New controls on the design and inform people about the next 1 – 5 years to maintain water quality and construction of stormwater what can be done to improve or improve water quality in the drainage systems are required the situation. lakes. A “Water Quality Action to limit the flow of sediments Team” with people from Specific programs to improve and nutrients into the lakes Wyong Shire Council, NSW stormwater quality include: from new developments. Department of Natural Stormwater will be treated at • Ensure that new Resources, Hunter-Central common sites downstream, developments don’t increase Rivers Catchment with costs shared by nutrient and sediment loads Management Authority and developers and those who will and water flows above their the Estuary Management benefit from the developments. natural levels Committee/Advisory Board, • Reduce nutrient and will be set up to oversee the Additional stormwater sediment loads from existing implementation of the action management devices are developments plan to achieve these goals: required in existing urban areas, while existing devices • Maintain stormwater traps will be upgraded where and collect information on necessary. More attention will the material removed. be given to maintenance of Knowing how much material stormwater treatment devices, is collected over time will such as gross pollutant traps help in assessing how and constructed wetlands, effective stormwater quality to make sure that they continue control is. to function effectively. • Help landholders and A substantial increase in the business to limit pollution maintenance budget to cater at the source for new stormwater devices would have to occur. • Educate people in the catchment (including While treating stormwater at residents, tourists and “the end of the pipe” reduces industry) about reducing sediments and nutrients pollution entering the lakes, it is costly. A more efficient way of • Develop an assessment tool controlling stormwater that helps determine which pollution in the long term sub-catchments need priority is to reduce the amount of works pollutants before they enter • Ensure all new development the system. One way to do contains Water Sensitive this is to help landholders to Urban Design elements make improvements to existing pollution control practices. • Improve stormwater Another, longer-term approach, quality entering Porters is an education program to Creek Wetland through increase awareness of implementation of stormwater stormwater quality issues harvesting scheme among the broader community 12 Snapshot of the Tuggerah Lakes Estuary Management Plan 2. Ensure that the water 3. Reduce erosion of 4. Encourage sustainable at lakes beaches foreshores and stream use of water meets public health banks High consumption of fresh requirements The main creeks running into water by industry, agriculture Monitoring of harmful bacteria Tuggerah Lakes are Saltwater, and residents is an important at bathing beaches will Tumbi, Ourimbah, Wyong and issue that affects both the continue in order to provide Wallarah/Spring. The lower quantity and quality of water the public with information sections of each are part of the entering the estuary. on potential health hazards. estuary and the upper parts Freshwater is necessary for the Monitoring is important for drain freshwater (and wellbeing of the lakes system, keeping the public informed sediments, nutrients, etc.) from however changes to the sources and taking action when the 670km2 catchment to the of this water (i.e. reducing river necessary, but it doesn’t solve estuary. All of these creeks flows whilst increasing the problem. There will be have experienced erosion of surrounding stormwater new funds to identify the the banks and loss of drainage discharge) can have sources (human and animal) vegetation that increases a detrimental effect on the lake of contamination and develop erosion during floods. This system. There is a danger that, measures to reduce this. is what causes most of the with increasing demand for sediment and nutrient loads water from our rivers and to the estuary. This is a serious creeks, what’s left after threat to the lakes’ ecosystem community needs are met and must be tackled. There won’t be enough to maintain a would have to be a substantial healthy ecosystem in the lakes. increase in the funding New funds need to be allocated allocated by Council for dealing to develop initiatives to support with this problem. Reducing the sustainable use of water, erosion is considered a high including reducing demand by priority, as this will have a more efficient use of water and significant positive effect on recycling. Photos (above and below): Andrew Rowland the problem of water quality and on the ecology of rivers and creeks. A review of the condition of the banks of all tributaries and riparian corridors as part of a prioritised program is essential to detail measures to reduce erosion, including re-vegetation, exclusion of livestock through negotiated arrangements with landholders and limiting boat wash in some areas. Snapshot of the Tuggerah Lakes Estuary Management Plan 13 Water Quality Action Plan summary Target Benefits of meeting Risks of doing Estuary Fixing a symptom/ the target nothing Management Study cause or providing issues addressed* an enhancement Maintain natural nutrient Sediment/nutrient loads Waterways downstream Main Issue: Cause and sediment loads and to the creeks and lakes of the development may Changes in water quality water flows after new should remain in check experience algal blooms, can affect aquatic & development while the catchment poor water quality and semi-aquatic vegetation continues to be damage to habitats like Other Issues: developed seagrass. WE3, WF1, WG1, VR1, VF1 Reduce nutrient and Reduction in nutrient and Too much sediment and Main Issue: Cause sediment loads from sediment loads caused nutrients can cause algal Increased sediments existing development by development over the blooms, poor water and nutrients from exiting last 50 years. quality, and affect fish, development affects sponges and seagrass. water quality Other issues: WF1, VR1, VF1, VR2 Maintain stormwater Keep traps operational Traps export sediment Increased sediment Symptom traps and collect and informs management and gross pollutants and nutrient loads from information on the of changes in sediment to the estuary. existing development material removed and gross pollutant loads No opportunity to affects water quality that would otherwise understand if loads are enter the estuary. increasing/decreasing in response to catchment practices Help landholders and Improved dialogue with Continued poor practices Main Issue: Cause business to limit landholders, business leading to stormwater Protective measures pollution at the source operators and the pollution EMS Issues applied to development community – Addressed are difficult to monitor a co-operative approach and enforce to pollution reduction Other Issues: LA2, LS2, LS3, WE2, WE3 Educate people in the Reduce pollution at the Continued need to install Main Issue: Cause catchment (including source, reducing the treatment devices. Toxic contaminants in residents, tourists and need for expensive Catchment and stream runoff can affect aquatic industry) about reducing treatment devices and habitats continue to be ecology and human pollution their maintenance. degraded. health Healthier catchment Other Issues: habitats and urban VW3,VE3,VR2,SP3,DC3, streams. WE2 14 Snapshot of the Tuggerah Lakes Estuary Management Plan Target Benefits of meeting Risks of doing Estuary Fixing a symptom/ the target nothing Management Study cause or providing issues addressed* an enhancement Develop an assessment Efficient allocation of Scare resources spent in Main Issue: Enhancement tool that helps determine resources to mitigate areas where the benefits Increased sediment which sub-catchments stormwater pollution. may be small and nutrient loads from need priority assistance Sub-catchments most existing landuses affects in need will be water quality managed first. Other Issues: WE4, WH3 Ensure beaches meet Healthier swimming Recreational swimming Main Issue: Symptom primary water contact conditions in the lakes spots unsuitable for Sources of pathogens requirements (PP10) swimming at certain and faecal coliforms in times the rivers and estuaries are not well understood Other Issues: WH4 Stabilise foreshores and Keeps sediment loads Increased turbidity, Foreshore and Cause streambank erosion in check and protects smothering of habitat on streambank erosion adds riparian habitat the bed of the lakes and sediment to waterways rivers, degradation of riparian habitat Reduce demand for river Current flow patterns to Increased demand for Increasing population Cause water