Water pollution

Water pollution

Water pollution is largely caused by human activity and has had a major impact on our local waterways and their ability to be healthy and function naturally.

Water pollution comes from two sources - point sources or diffuse sources:

•Point source pollution is any pollution that originates from a single location. It is often associated with intensive production activities including farming, manufacturing and service sectors such as sewage treatment plants, on-site sewage management systems, industrial activities and discharges from urban stormwater drains. Point sources are largely regulated through the Protection of the Environment Operations Act, 1997. The Act permits Council and the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation to regulate various polluting issues, including issuing clean up or prevention notices. Nonetheless, point sources can discharge a variety of pollutants to aquatic environments and have the potential to cause severe long-term impacts.

•Diffuse sources are generated mainly by run-off after rain, which collects pollutants from across a wide area. Diffuse sources in urban areas include roads, industrial and commercial premises, parks, gardens and households. Stormwater typically contains litter, nutrients, bacteria, pathogens pesticides, heavy metals, sediment, oils, grease and other pollutants. In rural areas diffuse sources include agricultural activities, such as cropping, irrigation, livestock grazing and intensive livestock industries as well as unsealed roads. Rural run-off can increase the levels of sediment, nutrients, pesticides and chemicals in waterways.

The ability of these pollutant sources to cause a decline in water quality depends on the amount of vegetation cover, intensity of land use and the loss of vegetation along creek banks. All of these factors effect the ability of our waterways to cope with increased nutrients, sediment and changes in flows which causes changes to the health of the waterways through decline in water quality, native plant and animals.