Most contaminated coastal waterways: a top 10 ranking the Mid North Coast didn't want

It’s not unusual to see the Mid North Coast included in top 10 lists – mostly for its beautiful beaches and bushwalks. 

But according to new research from the NSW Government, the region has made the cut for something far less impressive: hosting some of the most contaminated coastal waterways in the state. 

What happened: On Monday, an Australian-first microplastic report revealed the state’s most contaminated coastal waterways, including creeks in Coffs Harbour and South West Rocks.

• The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) worked together to deliver the assessment.   

• The report ranks coastal waterways by microplastic concentration in the top 15 centimetres of surface water, from most to least contaminated.

• 120 catchments were sampled from the Tweed to the Victorian border to identify the most affected sites and the types of microplastics present.

• More than 31,000 particles were identified, including foam packaging and plastic pellets.

NSW EPA Chief Executive Tony Chappel said microplastics were detected in every waterway sampled.

Local impact: Coffs Creek in Coffs Harbour ranked number six in the state for most contaminated coastal waterways with South West Rocks Creek (locally known as Back Creek) just behind it, taking spot seven.

• Both Coffs Creek and South West Rocks Creek were found to have very high levels of microplastics.

All other waterways in the top 10 most contaminated waterways are found in Sydney, including Parramatta River at number nine.

In contrast, Myall Lake in the MidCoast LGA south of Forster, is one of the least contaminated across the state.

Why it matters: Chappel said the report’s findings demonstrate the widespread nature of plastic contamination across urban, regional, and remote catchments – and will shape the next wave of action.

• “Microplastics are one of the fastest-emerging threats to marine life and our environment, often washed from land into rivers and then into the ocean through stormwater drains,” Chappel said in a statement.
  

• “We’ll use this groundbreaking data to develop models of sources and pathways to better target preventable pollution, work with water managers on local solutions and strengthen policies that keep microplastics out of our ecosystems.