NESP MaC Project 2.4 - Ecological outcomes of wastewater discharges in contrasting receivi

A project by the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub investigated ecological outcomes of wastewater discharges in Australian coastal environments from 2022 to 2024. It measured concentrations of five key pollutant groups—microplastics, nutrients, heavy metals, PFAS, and antimicrobials—in water and sediment samples from various outfall sites. The project combined field sampling with hydrodynamic modelling to assess pollutant dispersal and potential impacts on the lower food web.

Use Cases

• Prioritizing future monitoring investments based on identified concentrations of Chemicals of Emerging Concern (CEC).
• Informing contaminant guidelines and policy using data on microplastics, PFAS, and antimicrobials in marine settings.
• Assessing ecological risk by correlating contaminant levels from field samples with hydrodynamic modelling of pollutant dispersal.
• Supporting the development of the National Outfall Database with new wastewater discharge data.

Strengths

• Focuses on five specific, high-priority pollutant groups: microplastics, nutrients, heavy metals, PFAS, and antimicrobials.
• Integrates field sampling data with hydrodynamic modelling to evaluate residence times and pollutant dispersal.
• Builds on a prior NESP scoping study, providing a targeted investigation into identified knowledge gaps.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Field sampling and hydrodynamic modelling.

Time Range

2022-2024

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06 27 17:46:43.611015; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian coastal and marine environments near wastewater outfall sites.