February 2023

Heavy rains, following record drought and bushfires in 2019 had an enormous negative
impact on the quality of water in all coastal river systems in eastern Australia. However, with
three years of higher-than-average rainfall, which should have led to an improvement in
water quality, the situation has now, more than 3 years later, reached a crisis point, with the
Clarence Valley placed on water restrictions because of excessive turbidity levels in both the
Nymboida River, and the Shannon Creek reservoir.