Spring Creek estuary is located on the south coast of New South Wales near the township of Kiama. It is classed as a creek with an intermittently closed entrance at Bombo Beach.
The estuary supports rehabilitated wetlands, which are managed by the local council and community groups. The wetlands provide important habitat for plants and animals as well as great birdwatching opportunities.
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 between Wollongong and the Victorian border every 3 years. The most recent sampling in Spring Creek was completed over the 2017–18 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 fair with:
- algae abundance graded poor (D)
- water clarity graded good (B)
- overall estuary health graded fair (C).
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 cards to 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 Spring Creek since 2014. This table shows the water quality grades for this estuary over that time.
| Year | Algae | Water clarity | Overall grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | B | C | B |
Physical characteristics
| Estuary type | Creek |
|---|---|
| Latitude (ºS) | –34.66 |
| Longitude (ºE) | 150.85 |
| Catchment area (km2) | 5.8 |
| Estuary area (km2) | 0.1 |
| Estuary volume (ML) | 15 |
| Average depth (m) | 0.3 |
Notes: km2 = square kilometres; m = metres; ML = megalitres.
Water depth and survey data
Bathymetric and coastal topography data for this estuary are available in our data portal.
Land use
The catchment of Spring Creek is highly disturbed, with about 80% of land cleared for grazing and rural residence. New urban areas on the outskirts of Kiama make up 15% of urban land use in this catchment.
National and marine parks
- Morton National Park is the largest conservation area within this catchment.
- This estuary does not flow into a marine park.
Community involvement
- Landcare Illawarra support volunteer groups working to improve the environment in this region.
Local government management
Local councils manage estuaries within their area unless the estuary is attached to a marine park. Kiama Municipal Council manages this estuary.
Threatened species
The wetlands of the Spring Creek estuary provide habitat for the endangered green and golden bell frog.
Read more about the biodiversity in our estuaries.