About EPA Beach Report
Why do we have Beach Report?
Melbourne's reputation as one of the world's most liveable cities is partly due to the number of safe, urban beaches around Port Phillip Bay. It is rare to find high levels of sewage pollution at these beaches, but occasionally there are water quality problems. These may create a health risk for swimmers. Regular water quality monitoring is therefore important so that we can identify pollution problems and alert the public.
One of EPA Victoria's key roles is to monitor the condition of the environment, including air, land and water. The information collected allows us all to make informed choices. Beach Report is one of EPA's key programs – keeping people informed about the water quality at beaches around Port Phillip Bay.
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What does Beach Report do?
EPA monitors water quality at 36 Port Phillip Bay beaches. Water samples are collected at Beach Report sites every week during summer, usually on Wednesdays. All samples are tested for enterococci, a group of bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract of warm-blooded animals. Enterococci is recognised as the best bacterial indicator for measuring faecal contamination in marine recreational waters.
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What do the water quality forecast ratings mean?
As part of the Beach Report program, water quality forecasts are issued daily to provide the community with up-to-date information about their local beach. The forecasting system is based on a number of factors, including:
- water quality history of the beach
- rainfall prediction
- recent sampling results and
- sunlight levels.
The forecasts provide information on expected bacterial levels present in the water, that is the risk of becoming ill after swimming at the beach. The water quality forecasts are predictive only. EPA recommends that beachgoers should use good judgement and local knowledge when visiting the beach.
The following is an overview of the beach water quality ratings:
| Good | | Water quality is expected to be suitable for swimming. |
| Fair | | Water quality is expected to be generally suitable for swimming but may be affected by stormwater. |
| Poor | | Not recommended for swimming. |
| Unacceptable | | A no swim advisory has been issued for this beach. |
During and 24 hours following rainfall EPA recommends against swimming near stormwater drain, rivers, streams and other outlets into Port Phillip Bay.
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What does the level of Enterococci in a water sample mean?
The State Environment Protection Policy (Waters of Victoria) 2003 specifies the following objectives for recreational waters:
- the median enterococci level should be less than or equal to 35 organisms per 100ml, and
- the 75th percentile enterococci level should be less than or equal to 150 organisms per 100ml.
Median and 75th percentiles are standard statistical measures that are used for assessing changes in recreational water quality over time. Compliance to these
objectives is assessed throughout the Beach Report season and reported in the end-of-season publications (view documents about previous Beach Report seasons at the bottom of this page).
In addition to state policy objectives, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) provide guidance on the management of recreational waters within Australia. The Guidelines for Managing Risks in Recreational Water (2005 under review) apply a new risk management approach, developed by the World Health Organisation. EPA is incorporating this approach for the assessment of beach water quality into the Beach Report program.
Individual measurements of enterococci are expected to vary, and may be either above or below water quality objectives without necessarily affecting the overall suitability of beaches for recreational purposes. The Beach Report program uses a single result of 500 enterococci/100mL as a trigger for follow-up sampling and further investigations.
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How does EPA use the water quality information?
The Beach Report program uses water quality data in a number of ways.
- The results from Beach Report sampling help EPA to respond quickly to pollution events. If unusually high enterococci levels are reported in samples from any Beach Report site, additional water samples are collected and analysed. Officers from EPA work with councils to investigate pollution sources and address any problems.
- Marine scientists from EPA also use the water quality data to forecast day-to-day water quality at beaches around the bay. Our forecasts are based on recent sampling results, weather conditions and beach history. During summer, these forecasts are published daily in The Age, Herald Sun and on this website. In this way, EPA will alert the public when water quality is poor. Beachgoers can then make informed choices about which beach to visit.
- Beach Report data is also used to assess longer-term water quality against state and national guidelines. The results and investigations allow EPA and other Government agencies to develop long-term solutions for water quality management.
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Results of previous Beach Report seasons
2006-2007 Beach Report season
2005-2006 Beach Report season
2004-2005 Beach Report season
2003-2004 Beach Report season
2002-2003 Beach Report season
2001-2002 Beach Report season
2000-2001 Beach Report season
1999-2000 Beach Report season
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The contents of this page were last edited, Thursday, 29 November 2007
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