What is a Catchment? Is it safe to go swimming? your guide to our A catchment is the area of land from which stormwater Monitoring has shown that wet weather, and resultant creek and estuary drains into a creek, estuary or river system. Whatever contaminated stormwater, can adversely affect local happens in that catchment affects the waterways within it. water quality for both swimming and boating. water quality There are four main catchment areas within Hornsby Shire: Council has developed a ‘real time’ swimming risk indicator system based on water salinity data collected Cowan Creek from five water quality monitoring buoys. Water quality report card 2012 Berowra Creek Hawkesbury River Check out the swimming risk indicator Upper Lane Cove River at hornsby.nsw.gov.au/waterquality Do you know Help prevent stormwater pollution! where your Do your bit … STOP car wash detergent, paint, excess garden fertilisers and pesticides, grass clippings, stormwater cigarette butts and any other litter from ending flows to? up in our gutters, stormwater drains and local creeks. Remember... the drain is just for rain program Natural Resources Branch Hornsby Shire Council 296 Pacific Highway, Hornsby PO Box 37, Hornsby NSW 1630 Photo by: Photo Telephone 9847 6874 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday Daniel Nolan hornsby.nsw.gov.au/water Findings (see centrefold Water Quality Report Card) Why is water quality important? National Park ‘reference’ creeks (test sites 36 and 37) Water is the lifeblood of our planet. and estuarine test sites have the best water quality Water quality is therefore one of the best indicators Generally fair to poor water quality is found of overall environmental health. just downstream of our developed urban and rural areas Waterway health is an issue of concern for Hornsby The most polluted water is sampled around Oyster trivia our industrial estates (test sites 10, 12 and 13) Shire Council, particularly Oysters can filter up to five following algal blooms, During heavy rain, water quality decreases litres of water each hour. fish kills, muddy water because water becomes contaminated with suspended solids, nutrients and bacteria and sewage contamination Oysters are extremely sensitive washed off the catchment to water quality and susceptible within Berowra Creek during Wet weather can cause a higher incidence to coastal pollution. the late 1980s early 1990s. of sewer overflows The gonads of the oyster are Testing the waters Very few creeks within Hornsby Shire are not considered to be the tastiest part. impacted in some way by human development Since 1994 Council has A ‘spat’ is the name for a baby oyster. regularly tested the Shire’s The good news is that episodes of algal Oysters are considered tastier waterways and compares results to clean blooms are reducing – and that’s good for fish, during the months that contain ‘r’. ‘reference’ creeks in local National Parks. oysters and people. NSW oyster farmers produce more A multi-sensor probe is used to monitor water, The bad news is that nutrients, including fertilisers, contaminate our creeks. Leaking septic than 100 million oysters per year with collected samples sent for lab analysis. tanks and sewage pipes are also contributing. - a $35 million industry Monitoring water quality allows us to assess, through time, the impact of land-use on waterways and to ensure that works funded by the Catchments * 419 pollution traps (stormwater quality * Water running southwards Remediation Rate (CRR) achieve best possible improvement devices) are installed and off Pennant Hills Road will Did you environmental outcomes. maintained throughout Hornsby Shire catchments. eventually flow under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. know... * Since 1996, these pollution traps have captured enough waste material to fill the equivalent of * The total length of creek lines 66,500 Hornsby red-lid garbage bins or almost within Hornsby Shire is 1,190 kms. four Olympic-sized swimming pools. * 620,000 litres of sewage effluent was * Council manages 5 monitoring buoys in the lower collected from boats at Kangaroo Point Hawkesbury estuary, which deliver real-time data Pumpout Facility 2008–2012. on water quality. Summary Waterway Health Grading What do the grades mean? Excellent Indicates clean water A and a healthy ecosystem Your water quality B B Good A B C Increasingly degraded water C Fair quality and ecosystems Physical & Water } Poor chemical bugs & D report card condition Bacterial microscopic Implies water quality is always poor contamination plant life F Fail and the ecosystem severely impaired WISEMANS FERRY B LAUGHTONDALE A A A C A B B A A B A A B A A A ONE TREE REACH A A+ A A B A A B A A+ C HA A WKES GENTLEMANS B A A SINGLETONS HALT B MILL U R Y R IV E B MAROOTA R B A C A B A A H CANOELANDS A B W B A B K A E S B A A B MILSONS PASSAGE U R Y R 103 IVE R A CR RR EEK MOONEY MOONEY A 48 M 37 BAR C A R ISLAND R 104 A A C C B M DANGAR ISLAND B A A MARRAMARRA 107 108 NATIONAL PARK SUNNY CORNER 105 106 38 PATONGA FOREST GLEN COBA POINT 55 B STP BROOKLY N K B A B E LION E R ISLAND C MUOGAMARRA JUNO POINT BROKEN NATURE RESERVE BAY A R BEROW D FLINT & STEEL POINT D D D NEVERFAIL BAY WEST HEAD KU-RING-GAI CHASE NATIONAL PARK 63 62 61 39 COWAN CALABASH POINT B FIDDLETOWN 60 B BEROWRA WATERS C A C GLENORIE C A C 80 K E E R BERRILEE C N COLAH CREEK BEROWRA HEIGHTS A OW C A + B COTTAGE A A - C A C CROSSLANDS RESERVE BEROWRA POINT LL CR S T I E 100 EK 42 ARCADIA 49 36 MIDDLE DURAL 43 13 D C C C F C C C GALSTON 64 KU-RING-GAI CHASE MT KURING-GAI NATIONAL PARK BOBBIN HEAD 77 B B 1 HORNSBY C A+ - GALSTON 2 STP C A C GORGE HEIGHTS D 52 MT COLAH D C D K E E R C A R B DURAL W O R B B - B E K UN E B ASQUITH B A+ B T KS CR E 45 12 D STP HORNSBY C D F 23 EEK WAITARA GLENHAVEN PYE R B S C 4 6 C A C WAHROONGA 5 CHERRYBROOK WESTLEIGH NORMANHURST C 10 C B C CASTLE HILL THORNLEIGH C WEST C C D PENNANT HILLS PENNANT HILLS N D C F - C BEECROFT C C C CHELTENHAM D EVLIN S NORTH EPPING C REEK 8 46 B B A C CARLINGFORD EPPING C F 6 Water test site number Rural C A D D F F Creeks EASTWOOD Urban Water monitoring buoys Industrial Main roads KEY Grades are based on data collected by Hornsby Shire Council’s water quality monitoring program AREAS Bushland Train stations For more information, including test site locations, see the Companion Technical Report and Annual Water Quality Reports STP Sewage Treatment Plant Estuarine hornsby.nsw.gov.au/waterquality .