Cowan Creek / Pittwater Subcatchment

Cowan Creek

Cowan Creek is a tidal subcatchment of the Hawkesbury River and a typical drowned river valley. Almost all of the catchment is in reserved land (Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park).

The headwaters of waterways in the Cowan subcatchment are heavily urbanised, while the lower reaches are generally bushland and are very popular for recreational boating and fishing. Lovers Jump Creek is considered to be one of the most degraded creeks, in terms of water quality, in the Ku-ring-gai Council area.

Pittwater

The Pittwater subcatchment is dominated by tidal influences and estuarine waters and the whole of the western side of the subcatchment is largely reserved as bushland in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Well-vegetated sandstone valleys are the major landscape characteristic interspersed with small local foreshore settlements such as Elvina Bay.

The southern and eastern side of Pittwater contains significant areas of urban development at Church Point, Mona Vale (which is also a light industrial area), Newport and Avalon. Drainage from these areas is split by a ridge along the peninsula with drainage west to Pittwater and east to northern beaches such as Avalon, Whale and Palm Beach.

Pittwater is one of the highest social and economic value areas of the catchment. Intensive recreation such as boating has been identified as a threat to water quality and the health of Pittwater.

Significant community based environment activity occurs in the Pittwater subcatchment, for example along McCarrs Creek.