Environmental monitoring and impact assessment : a case study for the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system in Australia

Monitoring the environment is of fundamental importance because it assesses the environmental state of a waterway and therefore allows appropriate strategies to be set up to enhance the health of a waterway. Similar to other countries in the world, the history of monitoring waterway health in Australia is relatively new. This paper presents the state of the environment of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system in New South Wales State in Australia. Located in the most populous city of Australia, Sydney, the Hawkesbury-Nepean River is one of the most important river systems in Australia. The catchment of this river system provides drinking water to four million people. The health of this river system is examined by a comprehensive review of the existing water quality data and a field monitoring. It has been found that although the health of the river has improved over time, the current nutrient levels (nitrogen and phosphorus) in the river are quite high which may trigger algal bloom. It is thus suggested to conduct further monitoring of the river and take necessary precautionary measures to enhance the health of this river thereby to protect its ecosystem.