Clean Ocean Foundation Goes Upriver!

A Clean Ocean starts upstream

As part of the National Outfall Database project, Clean Ocean Foundation is working with researchers from University of Western Sydney to study the effects of sewage treatment plant discharges on river systems. 
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​PhD candidate Katherine Morrison and supervisor Dr Ian Wright are in addition to contributing to the survey of inland NSW sewage outfalls, investigating the concentration and movement of heavy metal and emerging containments in sewage effluent outfalls into rivers in the NSW Southern Highlands. 

​Two of its largest rivers (Nattai and Wingecarribee Rivers) are known platypus habitat and major tributaries of Sydney’s Warragamba drinking water catchment. The Nattai River also has heightened significance as it flows through the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area. 

​Her PhD research aims to improve the regulation of sewage and industrial outfalls to improve their environmental effectiveness and river water quality. It also aims to improve scientific understanding about the mobility of contaminants at outfall-impacted aquatic food webs. Her research will target water and sediment quality, river invertebrates, riparian vegetation and also river platypus.