MIDCOAST Council has released its annual Waterway and Catchment Report Card.

Each year water sampling is undertaken across the MidCoast LGA’s six major catchments to report on ecological health and track progress on management actions.

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“Each year we work with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to compare the changes in algae growth and water clarity, and the results are presented as a Report Card with scores from A-F,” said Council’s Water Quality and Estuary Management Program Coordinator, Prue Tucker.

The results of the Report Card are significantly influenced by the activities undertaken in the catchments, as land use, urbanisation, agriculture, and industrial practices all interact with natural water systems.

“As with previous years the Report Card grades continue to be influenced by the amount of runoff from the catchment,” said Dr Rebecca Swanson from the Department Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).

“During the 2024 sampling season, rainfall was slightly below average over the sampling season, however, larger falls did occur in October and February which impacted results.”

In 2024, five sites including Coolongolook Estuary, Karuah Estuary, Bombah Broadwater and Charlotte Bay had improved ecological health when compared to last year’s results.

These improvements were largely due to lower levels of algal growth.

Myall Lake was in excellent condition for the sixth consecutive year while Bombah Broadwater returned to good condition due to improved water clarity and less algal growth.

Salinity in Myall Lake was close to freshwater and was lower than the salinity in Bombah Broadwater, which is typical for these waterbodies.

Lower Myall Estuary was in good condition, with excellent water clarity and low levels of algal growth for most of this year.

Karuah River and The Branch Estuaries improved to good condition this year due to less algal growth and good water clarity.

Moderate levels of algae persist resulting in a fair grade for algal growth.

Four sites received worse grades for water quality than last year – Mid Wallamba Estuary, Wallamba Cove, Farquhar Inlet and Khappinghat Estuary.