Integrated Orchard Management (IOM) in Macadamias is critical to ensure water draining into coastal streams and estuaries has a low sediment and nutrient load. Improved management of the canopy, orchard floor and drainage are three key elements of IOM. The management of one element affects the other two. The key to improved productivity and healthy soils is strongly associated with having an on-farm drainage system that allows for water to be controlled throughout the orchard resulting in low sediment and nutrient load draining to streams and estuaries. Key to the drainage system is an open canopy to allow light through to the orchard floor which in turn allows living and non-living ground covers to protect the orchard floor. Having these ground-covers in place allows the grower to confidently apply nutrition and know that it will remain in place and improve harvest efficiency (nuts will not wash away heavy rain). This presentation will discuss the success of IOM on many NSW Northern Rivers orchards through grant schemes, case studies, and research trials that compare IOM and non IOM systems side by side. The Clean Coastal Catchments Research Project is funded through the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy 2018-2028.