Hawkesbury Nepean CMP Newsletter 2

Hawkesbury-Nepean River Coastal Management Program newsletter

Issue 2, July 2022

The Hawkesbury-Nepean River Coastal Management Program (CMP) is being developed by six councils that border the tidal section of the Hawkesbury estuary with support from the NSW Government. While we will aim to consider all physical and ecological processes occurring throughout the Hawkesbury-Nepean River catchment from its source in Goulburn, the CMP will primarily focus on the impacts within the tidal section stretching over 145 km of the river from Broken Bay up to Yarramundi near Richmond. The CMP also covers the waterways of Pittwater and Brisbane Water which converge with the Lower Hawkesbury River at Broken Bay.

For further information on the CMP process, visit hawkesburynepeancmp.org

Stage 2 Technical Studies Update

A review of existing information and a knowledge gap analysis undertaken during Stage 1 of the CMP has identified a number of high-priority technical studies required for the successful progression of the CMP.

HAWKESBURY-NEPEAN RIVER SYSTEM PHYSICAL AND ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES: ABRIDGEMENT REPORT

The draft report has been completed and will be reviewed by the project team in the coming weeks. The report presents an excellent summary of the key ecological and physical processes driving the Hawkesbury-Nepean River System, in addition to existing research, history and background of the River System. The report will also look at how current management actions are addressing key processes and if further action is needed/to be considered during Stage 3 of the CMP. Read more.

HAWKESBURY RIVER BANK EROSION STUDY

Assessment of 45 locations along the estuary section was completed using a combination of methods: desktop analysis of historical aerial imagery, LiDAR and bathymetry data, and on-site inspections. All locations have then been assigned a risk score and prioritised and grouped into high and low-risk categories. The consultant is now working on the development of management options to manage identified risks. Read more.

PITTWATER COASTAL HAZARD ASSESSMENT

Shorelines of six beach embayments within the Pittwater estuary have been mapped using various sources of data (aerial images, Nearmaps, satellite images and photogrammetry data) to determine the magnitude and extent of short-term beach erosion (from storms) and project future long-term shoreline recession. Historical timelapse videos of shoreline change have also been completed for all six study locations. View an example of a timelapse video for Mackerel Beach showing 80 years of coastal change since 1940. Read more.

TIDAL AND COASTAL INUNDATION STUDY

The consultants are completing a draft synopsis paper summarising the existing information concerning tidal and oceanic inundation. The paper will provide an assessment of the adequacy of this information for informing risk assessments and hazard definition for coastal management planning and aid with defining the study area boundaries for the next project stage. The study will be essential for identifying the hazards within the coastal zone by expanding our understanding of the interactions between the ocean and the land. Read more.

Engagement Opportunities Update

We will be running a series of community events with project stakeholders both face-to-face and online. These events will allow us to develop a shared understanding of what our stakeholders’ concerns, needs and values are, so that we can effectively incorporate them in the planning and decision-making while developing the CMP.

Past events (Feb-Jun 2022):

2022 Fishfest - 25-27 Feb, Hawkesbury-Nepean CMP sponsored this annual’s fishing competition and got a chance to talk with a valuable stakeholder of the river - our recreational fishers!

Let’s Talk Woy-Woy - 9 Jun, we were invited to participate in the Central Coast Council’s consultation day at Woy-Woy and collected feedback from residents in the Brisbane Water estuary catchment.

Celebrate Deerubbin — a Festival of the Hawkesbury River -18 Jun, hosted by Hornsby Council in partnership with a few community groups from Brooklyn. The festival was a huge success and allowed us to engage with residents from 3 out of 6 estuarine council areas.

Upcoming events (Jul-Aug 2022):

Unfortunately due to recent flooding in the Hawkesbury region, we were unable to proceed with our display at the Hawkes Fest. This event was cancelled due to the condition of the park venue.

We have some other plans in the works for September-December and will update you on the details shortly.

What’s coming up?

Four factsheets are currently being developed to raise awareness about various stressors facing the Hawkesbury-Nepean River System. Each individual factsheet will cover one of the 5 overarching threat categories as identified in the Stage 1 Scoping Study and will complement already produced Factsheet 1 - What’s the Hawkesbury-Nepean River CMP? and Factsheet 2 - Coastal and Estuarine Hazards.

We are getting close to finalising the two engagement tools that we would like to use to collect feedback from our key stakeholders (including you) during Stage 2 of the CMP. An online survey and an interactive map are proposed to be used to record local knowledge and gauge community’s understanding and attitudes to threats facing the River System.

We are also working on:

A webinar series about the technical studies we are currently undertaking;
A workshop to update stakeholders from various government agencies on how the CMP is progressing;
A funding application for CMP Stages 3 and 4;
Determining how we can deliver a catchment inclusive approach to the management of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Estuary within the limitations of the Coastal Management Framework;
A few other things, so stay tuned for further correspondence in the upcoming months!

You received this email because you have requested to be kept informed of the progress with the CMP development. If you no longer wish to receive updates from us you can unsubscribe below.

This newsletter will be released as the project proggresses, so keep an eye out on our project website for more regular updates - hawkesburynepeancmp.org. Feel free to forward the Hawkesbury-Nepean River CMP Newsletter!

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Thanks for staying involved and contributing to the Hawkesbury-Nepean Coastal Management Program!

Best wishes from members of the Hawkesbury-Nepean CMP Steering Committee