The National Outfall Database has been developed during the past three years by the Clean Ocean Foundation in a project supported by the National Environmental Science Program Marine Biodiversity Hub.
The database tracks the volume and composition of wastewater discharged to Australia’s ocean and estuaries. Data gathered in 2016 from 165 of the 175 ocean and estuarine outfalls provide the first national snapshot of these discharges to Australia’s coastal environment.
Nitrogen and phosphorous are nutrients commonly found in wastewater streams. They can cause significant water pollution issues such as algal blooms, environmental oxygen deficits and negative changes to marine species composition.
