Waters

Australia, with its diverse and sometimes harsh landscape, relies heavily on water resources to support both people and the environment.

Water supports a diverse array of ecosystems that are rich with biodiversity. Along with habitat for our plants and animals, these ecosystems provide valuable natural resources and services, such as drinking water, food and timber, recreational opportunities and cultural practices. For Aboriginal peoples, water is a living thing and is intrinsic to Aboriginal cultures.

Water resources are not endless.

Many of our key economic contributors rely on regular access to water resources. These include agriculture, food processing and mining, as well as our fisheries and tourism industries.

Climate change, population growth, restricting Aboriginal peoples access to Country, freshwater mismanagement, environmental degradation and aging infrastructure all contribute to a decline in water indicators in NSW. Communities, Aboriginal cultures, ecosystems and industries that rely on water will be impacted by this decline. Cultural, biodiversity and economic losses may follow.

Rivers and wetlands are lifelines for both ecosystems and human societies. They serve important roles as freshwater sources, biodiversity hotspots and natural flood buffers.

NSW rivers are generally in fair condition. As the climate becomes hotter and drier, wetlands and the species that depend on them will continue to be negatively impacted.

Water quality indicators are getting worse for inland rivers and wetlands, significantly affecting fish and waterbird communities.

Key findings from the 2024 report

• Many areas of the Murray–Darling Basin have a poor to very poor river condition in terms of water quality (nutrients and salinity), vegetation cover, catchment disturbance and hydrological stress (changes to natural flow regimes). Coastal rivers are generally in better condition, particularly on the southern coasts.
• Loss of river connectivity and access to water significantly impacts Aboriginal communities' mental and physical health.
• Fish, turtle and frog populations respond to rainfall levels differently depending on the species. Good rainfall in the last three years has helped improve outcomes for water quality, vegetation and waterbirds in some areas.
• More fish kill events have occurred in the last five years, with an average of 69 per year between 2019–23, up from an average of 21 between 2009–18.
• During 2021–23 there was an increase in the number of sites exceeding to 2018–20. This is most likely due to increased runoff from wetter weather.
• Long-term trends in total waterbird abundance and number of breeding species show a decline overall. The abundance of ducks, herbivores, large wading birds and over the 1983–2023 survey period by about two-thirds. This broadly corresponds with inundated area in spring.
• This topic’s ‘nitrogen and phosphorous levels’ indicator aligns to the ‘modification of biochemical flows’ planetary boundary. Globally, this boundary has been crossed (see ).
• This topic’s ‘river condition index for NSW rivers’, ‘health of fish communities’, ‘wetland extent’, ‘wetland condition’ and ‘waterbird abundance and breeding’ indicators align to the ‘biosphere integrity’ planetary boundary. Globally, this boundary has been crossed (see ).

Globally, groundwater is an increasingly important source of water. It supports the day-to-day water needs of one-third of the world’s population.

Most (97.3%) of the water on earth’s surface is sea water. Only the remaining 2.7% of water freshwater. It is found in ice caps and glaciers, groundwater, lakes and rivers and in the atmosphere. In many areas of the world groundwater is the only source of freshwater.

Groundwater with a low dissolved salt content accounts for most of the usable low-salinity water available globally, with a small amount stored in closed saline lakes.

Groundwater holds deep cultural significance for Aboriginal peoples. For over 65,000 years, Aboriginal knowledge of groundwater sources has been crucial for survival in Australia’s arid regions.

The changing climate is predicted to negatively impact water availability. To support their water needs, communities will increasingly turn to other sources of water than surface water, including groundwater.

Significant gaps remain in groundwater data. This means that determining the status and trends is difficult and unreliable. This has led to two indicators (aquifer sustainability and groundwater quality) being updated to a status of unknown.

Key findings from the 2024 report

• Above-average rainfall reduced the need to extract groundwater in the years 2020–21 to 2022–23. The amounts extracted remained below permitted limits at all locations.
• More than 250 regional towns in NSW are now reliant on groundwater for most of their everyday water needs.
• Although monitoring across NSW indicates that groundwater-dependent ecosystems are in moderate condition and stable, information on the extent and condition of them is still lacking. More work is being done to address these shortfalls.

Coastal, estuarine and marine ecosystems are vital for biodiversity, providing habitat for countless species and playing a role as marine life nurseries.

For Aboriginal peoples, the marine environment is not just a resource, but a fundamental part of identity, culture and wellbeing.

Coastlines have incredible environmental, economic, social and cultural significance to Australians, with coastal towns and cities being home to roughly 85% of the State’s population.

The water quality and overall health of the State’s coastal and marine ecosystems are stable, yet these ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable to loss of saltmarsh and catchment disturbance.

Key findings from the 2024 report

• Most estuaries and coastal swimming sites have water quality that is suitable for swimming, but this varies, especially after heavy rainfall.
• Coastal vegetation and habitats (saltmarsh, mangroves and seagrass) continue to be threatened by coastal development and climate change. While in some locations they are declining, in others coverage has improved due to good management.
• Kelp forest area declined in all sampled locations between 2019 and 2023, from 25% to 60%.
• Despite limited data for assessing statewide trends of coastal fish species, current monitoring of fisheries suggests fish stocks are stable, although some species are under threat.
• This topic's 'extent of estuarine macrophytes' and 'coastal fish stocks' indicators align to the 'biosphere integrity' planetary boundary. Globally, this boundary has been crossed (see ).