Figure 16: Water quality monitoring sites in the estuary

The overall ecological condition of the Manning River Estuary has been good since monitoring commenced in 2014, scoring a B-grade on most occasions.

However, there is a trend towards increased

algal growth throughout the estuary. In the 2020 Report Card it was noted that apart from the Lower Manning estuary, algal levels continued to be much higher than desired; this was particularly noticeable in the Dawson River and Upper Manning estuaries. Lower Manning estuary - There is a trend towards increasing algal levels in the Lower Manning estuary since sampling began in 2014. Mid Manning estuary - Apart from periods of drought where there are lower catchment inputs there is a trend towards increasing algal levels. Upper Manning estuary - Trend towards algae increasing each year (apart from periods of drought) leading to a drop in overall grade from a B to a C (good to fair) in 2020. The Manning River estuary can be impacted heavily by extreme conditions such as drought and flood due to the changes these conditions bring to runoff levels and therefore the nutrient inputs.

Figure 16: Water quality monitoring sites in the estuary