The Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment
The Hawkesbury-Nepean River is one of the longest in eastern Australia. Its catchment covers an area of 22000 square kilometres stretching south to Lake George and west beyond Lithgow, skirting around the Sydney and Illawarra coastal catchments, and draining into Broken Bay. More than half of the catchment is bushland, including state forests, National Parks and drinking water catchments. This "ring of green" is important in many ways. It provides habitat for native fauna and flora, including numerous rare and endangered species.
The well-being of the people of the catchment and Sydney largely depends on the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system and its surrounding land. Along its course, the river is heavily regulated by dams and weirs. The water supply for Sydney, Blue Mountains and the Illawarra is drawn from dams on the Nepean and its tributaries.
Agricultural production, worth about 1 billion dollars per year, supplies much of the Sydney Basin’s fresh produce. Extraction of sand and gravel for Sydney’s burgeoning building industry is estimated to be worth over $100 million a year. The region is a major recreational and tourist resource considered to generate at least $60 million a year.
Further development, both rural and urban, is planned. Another 300,000 people may live in the catchment by 2020 with the population rising to an estimated 4.5 million in the Sydney region. As the population grows, the demands on the natural and social resources of the area will increase and the environment, already under stress, will be subjected to increased pressure.
In short, Sydney has grown to rely on this catchment to supply nearly all of its domestic and industrial water needs and support a range of industries from agriculture to mining. The catchment is also expected to accommodate the expanding urban sprawl and yet remain a scenic and recreational backdrop for the enjoyment of increasing numbers of visitors from Sydney and tourists. It is clear the catchment cannot continue to accommodate the cumulative effects of all these demands. Because the Hawkesbury-Nepean is such a vital and important catchment, it is imperative to ensure it is managed in a sustainable way.
