Mooball Creek flows parallel to the coast and enters the sea at Pottsville on the north coast of New South Wales.
This estuary is classed as a barrier river. Its entrance is trained using rocky break walls to ensure the estuary remains open to the sea.
Water quality report card
As part of our water quality monitoring program we assess the water quality and ecosystem health of an estuary using a range of relevant indicators. We sample a subset of the estuaries located between the Queensland border and Taree every 3 years. The most recent sampling in Mooball Creek was completed over the 2015–16 summer, when 2 sites were sampled on a monthly basis.
This report card represents 2 water quality indicators that we routinely measure: the amount of algae present and water clarity. Low levels of these 2 indicators equate with good water quality.
Algae
Water clarity
Overall grade
The report card shows the condition of the estuary was good with:
- algae abundance graded excellent (A)
- water clarity graded good (B)
- overall estuary health graded good (B).
Grades for algae, water clarity and overall are represented as:
- A – excellent
- B – good
- C – fair
- D – poor
- E – very poor.
Go to estuary report cardsto find out what each grade means, read our sampling, data analysis and reporting protocols, and find out how we calculate these grades.
We have monitored water quality in Mooball Creek since 2012. This table shows the water quality grades for this estuary over that time.
| Year | Algae | Water clarity | Overall grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | B | B | B |
Physical characteristics
| Estuary type | Barrier river |
|---|---|
| Latitude (ºS) | –28.39 |
| Longitude (ºE) | 153.57 |
| Catchment area (km2) | 109.1 |
| Estuary area (km2) | 0.5 |
| Estuary volume (ML) | 351.3 |
| Average depth (m) | 0.7 |
Tidal exchange volume
Tidal exchange volume or tidal prism data is available for this estuary. This tidal prism was measured in 1993.
| Tide state | Flow (ML) | Local tidal range (m) | Sydney Harbour tidal range (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ebb flow | 630 | 0.96 | 1.46 |
| Flood flow | 550 | 0.96 | 1.52 |
Notes: km2 = square kilometres; m = metres; m3 = cubic metres; ML = megalitres.
Water depth and survey data
Bathymetric and coastal topography data for this estuary are available in our data portal.
Land use
Mooball Creek catchment is highly disturbed. Several smaller creeks drain the catchment, of which about two-thirds have been modified. Cattle and sugarcane production are the main agricultural practices in this area. Parts of the upper catchment in and around Mooball National Park remain forested and make up about one-third of the land use.
National and marine parks
- The Mooball Creek catchment area includes Mooball National Park and Wooyung Nature Reserve.
- This estuary does not flow into a marine park.
Aerial view of Mooball Creek estuary.
Local government management
Local councils manage estuaries within their area unless the estuary is attached to a marine park. Tweed Shire Council manages this estuary.
Threatened species
Threatened species such as the endangered short-footed screw fern exist in the Mooball Creek catchment area. This fern only occurs in a few locations within New South Wales.
Find out more about the biodiversity in our estuaries.