Estuaries, lagoons and wetlands are dynamic, living entities and an important part of the natural environment. These systems are integral to landscape processes such as nutrient cycling, water detention, slow release of flood water and trapping of sediments.
Within the Central Coast it is estimated there are about 870 hectares of mangroves, 190 hectares of saltmarsh and 1,780 hectares of seagrass. The Central Coast contains and is surrounded by a number of differing estuaries and coastal lagoons, from Lake Macquarie in the north to the Hawkesbury River in the south. Each system contains important ecosystems and is unique in terms of its ecology, biodiversity and management requirements.
Our wetlands have high intrinsic value for regional and national biodiversity, providing habitat for a wide range wildlife including waterbirds, fish, frogs and invertebrates, and water-loving plants such as sedges, rushes and various tree species. They also support many listed threatened species and ecological communities.
Since the release of the New South Wales Government's Estuary Management Manual in 1992, Council has worked with government bodies, industry and the community to appropriately manage activities in and around estuaries — guiding conservation and rehabilitation efforts, supporting land managers who have wetlands or creeks on their property, and educating the community.
Over the past decade, Council has developed and adopted Estuary Management Plans (EMPs) and Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMPs) for all the geographical catchments within the local government area. In 2018, the NSW State Government established a new framework for the management of coastal environments which requires Councils to transition their existing EMPs and CZMPs across to the new Coastal Management Programmes (CMP) format. Council will be reviewing and working through its existing plans over the coming years.
The current management plans for each of the Central Coast’s estuaries or coastal lagoons can be viewed by clicking on the links below:
Monitoring the health of our waterways
Council has established comprehensive ecological health monitoring programs for all our waterways. These programs help us understand past and current condition, identify where we need to focus our management actions and determine long-term trends in water quality and ecological health.
Sampling is undertaken by scientists throughout the year at a number of representative sites. Data is collected on site condition, water chemistry, nutrient concentrations and a range of biological indicators which tell us about the health and resilience of each area. The program aligns with the NSW Estuary Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Protocols and allows us to compare our results to other estuaries in NSW.
- The 2023-24 Waterways Report Card for the Central Coast Local Government Area has been released and includes Southern Lake Macquarie, Tuggerah Lakes, Brisbane Water, the Lower Hawkesbury River and the coastal lagoons – providing a clear picture of our entire waterways network. The 2023-24 report tells us:
- Of the 36 sites sampled, 11 are excellent (A), 6 are good (B), 10 are fair (C), 9 ranked poor (D) while none were very poor (F)
- Water quality and ecological health in the three southern bays of Lake Macquarie remained excellent (A) for the seventh consecutive year
- Tuggerah Lakes scored one excellent ranking (A) at The Entrance. Water quality remained stable at good (B) in Lake Munmorah but in many sites in Budgewoi and Tuggerah Lakes the overall water quality declined. This was largely due to increased algal growth most likely associated with 3 significant rainfall events which brought high nutrient and sediment loads into the lake waters from the catchments.
- Water quality in most of Brisbane Water was graded excellent (A) except for Kincumber Creek and Booker Bay which received a good (B) result and Erina and Narara creeks which rated as fair (C).
- Patonga and Mangrove Creeks both improved, Patonga to an excellent (A) grade and Mangrove to a good (B) grade. Mooney Mooney Creek remained stable at fair(C) while Mullet Creek declined to fair (C)
- Cockrone lagoon improved to an excellent grading (A) while Terrigal lagoon rated fair (C) and Avoca and Wamberal lagoons were poor (D). Wamberal lagoon had low water level for much of the year making it susceptible to wind driven wave action which increased resuspension of sediment and decreased water clarity which impacted greatly on the results.
- Water quality in Avoca Lagoon remained poor(D). This result is mainly driven by a very poor (F) result observed in the southern arm of the lagoon. The Central and northern arms of Avoca lagoon rated fair (C).
Council uses this information to track change, help guide our management decisions and identify areas where more detailed catchment audits are required.