HawkesburyWatch Revolutionising Estuary Management

This year marks the 20th anniversary of HawkesburyWatch - a ground-breaking high-tech system that keeps a close eye on the health of the Hawkesbury Estuary.

The initiative is a partnership between the NSW Government’s Manly Hydraulics Laboratory (MHL) and Hornsby Shire Council that provides real time monitoring of rainfall, water quality and levels across the 50 km river system.

The award-winning technology was introduced in 2004 to provide a powerful tool that helps the government to monitor the conditions of the estuary, including impacts from extreme weather events and suitability for swimming.

MHL uses a network of seven buoys and gauges across the Hawkesbury in key locations to measure water temperature and salinity every 15 to 30 minutes, with that information then beamed to a publicly available web portal.

While 20 years ago locals may have used dial up internet to check the state of the estuary via the website, today thousands of residents can access this near real time information at a click of a button on their phones to check the water for recreational purposes.

If conditions within the estuary change, requiring action such as toxic algae blooms or oyster harvesting, a system alert is received by MHL and Hornsby Shire Council which enables government to get on the front foot and close the impacted area to the public.

At the time of its launch, HawkesburyWatch was a state-first and has since set the benchmark for estuary monitoring, being awarded the Green Globe Award for Public Sector Leadership in 2018.

NSW Manly Hydraulics Laboratory Director, Edward Couriel said a lot had changed since 2004.

“Shannon Noll’s “What About Me” topped the music charts and Mark Zuckerberg launched something called something called “TheFacebook”,” Mr Couriel said.

“HawkesburyWatch has well and truly stood the test of time to still be around and thriving today.

“This is a fantastic milestone and certainly one to celebrate because this technology continues to set a state and national benchmark for environmental management of estuaries.

“Over the last two decades, there have been multiple floods and droughts which impact the health of the estuary and through our program, Hornsby Shire Council have been able to keep a close eye on conditions to protect the river and those that use it.

“The Hawkesbury Estuary has the most expansive set of live quality data in NSW, and we hope to continue our work with helping other councils to better manage their precious waterways.”

MHL’s innovative technology now also supports councils on the Northern Beaches in Sydney and on the Central Coast to monitor and maintain the health of their local waterways.

Visit https://mhl.nsw.gov.au/users/HornsbyShireCouncil/ for more information.

• Topics:

• Environmental Issues