Hawkesbury Nepean Coastal Management Program Newsletter: Issue 7

Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program newsletter

Issue 7, June 2024

Stage 3 of the CMP Underway

Water Technology Pty Ltd joined our team late last year to help us deliver Stages 3 and 4 of the Coastal Management Program (CMP). One of their first tasks was developing a Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan, which identified:

100 local community stakeholder groups
15 government stakeholder agencies
24 local councils
A range of First Nations representative groups and upper catchment stakeholders.

Workshops with the six partner councils have been completed. Currently we are undertaking workshops with 15 government stakeholders and 18 upper catchment councils. We are anticipating having the first round of workshops completed by mid-June. The resulting list of management options will be collated and synthesised as part of our targeted community consultation, which will begin in September 2024. Stay tuned for more details!

The Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan can be viewed here. For more information about Stage 3, watch a short video on our website.

Targeted State Government Stakeholder Engagement

There are over 15 state government agencies with roles and responsibilities across the wider Hawkesbury Nepean River System. In order to ensure a collaborative and effective approach to the CMP, our project team has been holding targeted discussions with each of these agencies. This process has included:

Clarifying roles and responsibilities across the river system
Identifying areas for collaboration and coordination, and
Determining where the CMP can link to existing agency plans, programs, and strategies.

These discussions have been occurring throughout May and June, and will be followed by targeted discussions with stakeholders across the Upper Catchment.

Community Engagement at the Hawkesbury Show

Over 17,000 people attended the 2024 Hawkesbury Show, exploring the displays and learning about the council’s latest projects at the Hawkesbury City Council tent.

Council’s Environmental Sustainability Team engaged with the community on the Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program. Fact sheets regarding the CMP were talked through and given out, along with a QR code directing people to the project webpage.

Additionally, Council hosted a Connected Community Checklist activity which involved community members engaging with several teams across Council. 152 people participated in the checklist activity, with 50 checklists drawn following the event, all winning a Grab-and-Go Bag, along with a HNRS CMP drink bottle.

Uncovering the Secrets of Jellyfish Blooms

Since the floods of 2022, the Hawkesbury estuary has been experiencing persistent jellyfish blooms, with a notable presence of various sizes, especially smaller jellies, appearing in high densities throughout different areas. This phenomenon has caused significant disruptions, leading to financial distress for commercial fishers in the region.

To address this issue, researchers from Griffith University, the University of New South Wales, and James Cook University have teamed up with estuary managers from Hornsby Shire Council and the Hawkesbury commercial fishing industry. Their goal is to uncover the reasons behind these jellyfish blooms, supported by funding from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC).

We are calling on all jellyfish enthusiasts to assist in this research by reporting sightings, including the location, species, and density of jellyfish in the Hawkesbury. Please submit your observations to Jellyfish in the Hawkesbury on iNaturalist Australia.

To find out more about this research, visit It's nothing to be jellous about: uncovering the secrets of jellyfish blooms.

How You Can Protect the Hawkesbury River

To help protect your local creek and our beautiful Hawkesbury River, it's important to consider how our everyday activities can contribute to stormwater pollution. Actions like washing your car on the street, blowing lawn clippings down the drain or not having adequate erosion and sediment control can harm water quality and disrupt the natural flow of local waterways. By adopting best practices, you can minimise your impact and help preserve the water quality and ecosystems of the Hawkesbury River.

Visit the drain is just for rain webpage to understand how water from your drain winds up in our rivers and oceans.

The Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program

The Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program (CMP or HNRS CMP) is being developed by six councils that border the tidal section of the Hawkesbury River estuary with support from the NSW Government. The CMP sets the long-term strategy for the coordinated management of the HNRS with a focus on achieving the objects of the NSW Coastal Management Act (2016). The CMP will primarily focus on the coastal management areas within the tidal section stretching over 145 km of the Hawkesbury 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.

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.

Keep an eye on our project website for more regular updates: hawkesburynepeancmp.org.

Forward this Newsletter to anyone who might be interested in the future management of the State’s premier river system!

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