Hawkesbury River
Water sampling results for PFAS
On 29 January, EPA officers collected water samples for PFAS analysis at 8 locations: Upstream of Richmond Bridge near North Richmond STP, Richmond Bridge, Richmond Lowlands, Upstream of Rickarbys Creek, Windsor Beach downstream of Rickarbys Creek, Windsor Bridge, Pitt Town Bottoms 1, Pitt Town Bottoms 2.
All samples show that PFAS is well below the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Recreational Water Quality Guidelines in the PFAS National Environment Management Plan 2.0 (2020). The latest results are consistent with previous monitoring of the Hawkesbury River conducted by the Department of Defence. Read the Department of Defence report.
The community can continue using the Hawkesbury River for swimming and recreational purposes including boating, and canoeing. This advice is being provided in relation to PFAS testing only.
EPA PFAS Water Sampling Results – Hawkesbury River around Richmond and Windsor (sampled 29 January 2025)
| Upstream of Richmond Bridge, near North Richmond STP | Richmond Bridge | Richmond Lowlands | Upstream of Rickabys Creek | Windsor Beach - downstream of Rickabys Creek | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFHxS + PFOS (µg/L) | 0.0053 | 0.006 | 0.0068 | 0.009 | 0.0092 |
| PFOA (µg/L) | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Windsor Bridge | Pitt Town Bottoms- 1 | Pitt Town Bottoms - 2 | Recreational Water quality guidelines NHMRC 2019 (µg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFHxS + PFOS (µg/L) | 0.01 | 0.013 | 0.013 | 2 |
| PFOA (µg/L) | 0.002 | 0.0031 | 0.0028 | 10 |
Fish sampling results for PFAS
As part of its PFAS investigations at RAAF Base Richmond, the Department of Defence sampled Sea Mullet, Estuary Perch and Australian Bass from the Hawkesbury River to determine if precautionary dietary advice should be issued to the community.
The NSW PFAS Taskforce analysed the results from this sampling program, and has determined that the community does not need to take additional precautions to reduce their exposure to PFAS, providing existing general advice is followed.
The EPA is encouraging community members to note existing general advice issued by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) that people can safely consume 2-3 serves of seafood a week, from a variety of sources and species.
For more information see