Marine monitoring

Marine monitoring at fixed sites

EPA currently monitors marine water quality at fixed sites located at:

Port Phillip Bay
Western Port
Gippsland Lakes.

EPA’s fixed marine monitoring sites

EPA has been monitoring these fixed sites since 1984, to understand long-term trends of environmental conditions in some of Victoria’s most stressed marine systems.

This is the only continuous dataset of marine water quality in Victoria that aligns with the water quality objectives in the State Environment Protection Policy (Waters).

Samples are collected monthly and analysed for:

nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and silicate)
water clarity (total suspended solids and turbidity)
dissolved oxygen
ammonia
salinity
algae (chlorophyll-a)
metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc)
water temperature
photosynthetically active radiation.

The annual Report Card provides a snapshot of water quality in Port Phillip Bay, Western Port, the Gippsland Lakes and the waterways in their catchments.

Recreational water quality – Beach Report

In the summer months (December to March each year) EPA monitors water quality at 36 beaches in Port Phillip Bay as part of our Beach Report program.

Samples are collected weekly and tested for Enterococci – a group of bacteria found inside warm-blooded animals. Enterococci is recognised as the best indicator for measuring faecal contamination of marine recreational waters.

The results and daily water quality forecasts are available on our website.

Daily water monitoring on board Spirit of Tasmania

EPA, in partnership with Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), has installed automated water quality monitoring systems on board Spirit of Tasmania I. The system collects continuous measurements while travelling from Port Melbourne, through Port Phillip Bay and across Bass Strait to Tasmania every day. It measures:

salinity
temperature
phytoplankton (via fluorescence monitoring)
turbidity.

The data helps us assess the impact of events and activities such as floods, algal blooms and dredging in the bay. It also helps us understand water-mixing processes between Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait, and has shown us how climate affects water quality trends in the bay.

We have been capturing measurements since 2008 and the data is available on the IMOS website. The IMOS website also has information about instrumentation, results and applications.

Pollution response

When marine pollution is reported to EPA, we may respond by inspecting the impacted area and taking samples.

Signs of water pollution might be:

water that looks cloudy or coloured
water that has an unusual smell
water that has foams or oil films on the surface
dead fish in the area
algal blooms
litter or other substances in the water.

If you notice pollution in the marine environment, please report it to us on 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC).

Marine research

EPA partners with government departments, community organisations and university researchers to undertake research projects to help us understand marine systems.

Our research focuses on understanding the processes controlling changes in the environments and where impact issues have been identified.

These are some recent examples:

research to understand seagrass and reef communities in partnership with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP)
development of the Victorian Marine Operational Model (VIC-MOM) – an open-access online tool to track marine-pollution
working with community groups in Port Phillip Bay to monitor microplastics – an emerging pollutant issue.