Water Quality

Protecting the health of our waterways is a key priority for Campbelltown City Council. Rivers, creeks and wetlands across our region are essential for biodiversity, recreation, and the wellbeing of our community. Council monitors water quality through a dedicated Water Quality Monitoring Program, which supports environmental protection, sustainable planning, and public health.

Water Quality Monitoring Program

In 2022, Campbelltown City Council relaunched the Water Quality Monitoring Program to assess the health of our urban and natural waterways. The program now provides a robust, science-based understanding of water quality trends, and supports a whole-of-catchment approach to management.

The program collects and analyses water samples from 13 locations across the Georges and Nepean Rivers and Bow Bowing–Bunbury Curran Creek catchment, including popular public reserves and natural areas such as:

  • The Woolwash
  • Simmo’s Beach
  • Frere’s Crossing
  • Menangle Beach

These sites represent a mix of urbanised and natural landscapes, helping us better understand how land use affects waterway health.

Why we monitor

Water quality monitoring helps Council to:

  • Compare conditions across different parts of the LGA
  • Track microbial levels at popular recreational sites
  • Guide the design and assess the efficiency of stormwater upgrades and WSUD infrastructure
  • Assess the impact of environmental pressures such as urban development, pollution and climate change,
  • Inform habitat restoration and biodiversity programs
  • Contribute to long-term data for the Georges Riverkeeper and other regional initiatives

Understanding the Guidelines We Use

ANZECC Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality

Developed by the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council, the ANZECC 2000 Guidelines set baseline “trigger values” for key physio-chemical and biological parameters like Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Chlorophyll, turbidity, pH, and dissolved oxygen.

We use the south-east Australia lowland rivers guideline values to assess how healthy our freshwater creeks and rivers are — especially in terms of suitability for sensitive aquatic life like the Platypus, Macquarie Perch and Sydney Hawk Dragonfly. 

Link to ANZECC Guidelines (pg. 96 for South-east lowland rivers)

Link to NSW Water Quality Objectives

 

NHMRC Recreational Water Quality Guidelines

These national guidelines are used to assess if a waterway is safe for primary contact (e.g. swimming) and secondary contact (e.g. wading, kayaking). They are developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and focus on the presence of harmful cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and sewage contamination. 

Four sites are currently being assessed using long-term microbial data and rainfall history to determine suitability for recreation (weekly sampling between November and April). 

  • Glenfield Parklands (Cambridge Avenue)
  • Simmo’s Beach
  • Ingleburn Reserve
  • Menangle Beach

Link to NHMRC Recreational Water Quality Guidelines 

 

SIGNAL Scores – Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

SIGNAL stands for Stream Invertebrate Grade Number Average Level. It’s a method used to assess the ecological health of waterways by analysing the types of macroinvertebrates (like insect larvae, snails and worms) found in stream samples.

Certain species require specific conditions for development (such as Stoneflies, Damselflies and Mayflies) and are more sensitive to pollution — so higher SIGNAL scores reflect better water quality and habitat conditions.

Commencing in 2024, six locations are sampled biannually (Autumn and Spring) including: 

  • Glenfield Parklands (Cambridge Avenue)
  • Simmo’s Beach
  • Bunbury Curran Creek (Harold St Bridge)
  • Kooringa Reserve
  • The Woolwash
  • Menangle Beach

Link to revised SIGNAL sensitivity grades for national application (Chessman 2003)

Annual Water Quality Results

Results from monthly water sampling are assessed for their average annual rate of compliance against ANZECC and NHMRC guidelines (i.e percentage of sampling events compliant with guideline trigger values for healthy water). The annual average rate of compliance results are displayed via map for ecological, primary and secondary contact conditions, and via table for specific physio-chemical, biological and microbial. 

2022/23 - Map(JPEG, 2MB) / Table(PNG, 243KB)  

2023/24 - Map(JPEG, 2MB) / Table(PNG, 243KB) / SIGNAL(JPEG, 2MB)

2024/25 - Map(JPEG, 2MB) / Table(PNG, 250KB)

What We’re Doing

Campbelltown City Council is working to improve water quality through:

  • Stormwater upgrades and WSUD infrastructure

  • Riparian restoration and weed control

  • Pollution prevention programs

  • Supporting citizen science and Streamwatch groups

  • Collaborating with Sydney Water, Georges Riverkeeper and neighbouring councils on catchment-scale action

How You Can Help

  • Keep rubbish, oils and garden waste out of drains

  • Use fertilisers and chemicals responsibly

  • Join a Bushcare group

  • Avoid swimming after heavy rain

  • Report illegal dumping or pollution to Council’s Customer Service Centre

Related Information

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