This report provides a preliminary data analysis of the river outfalls around the Hawkesbury-Nepean coastal catchment areas located in central NSW, and ranks them according to the total flow volume and nutrient load to determine the potential health and environmental impact. The main targeted audiences are decision makers, water authorities and general public. The key points of this report are 1) higher nutrient discharged is mainly in the lower catchment areas, 2) larger capacity Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP's) discharge the highest nutrients load into the catchment areas, 3) inconsistency within the datasets which makes the analysis difficult to conclude the extent of nutrient impacts in the inland river. Improved Australia-wide inland outfalls monitoring is needed to identify the extent outfalls impact on water quality and riverine ecosystems. A standardised format of dataset is required to help researchers and stakeholders to assess water quality data of WWTP outfalls.
Plastic pollution is a growing issue in Australia and globally. In its January 2016 report, the World Economic forum estimated that there are over 150 million tonnes of plastic waste in the oceans and that this amount is forecast to grow to 250 million tonnes in 2025.
