Beachwatch A program of the DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, INDUSTRY & ENVIRONMENT

Northern report card 2018–19

This report card provides a long-term assessment of how suitable a site is for swimming in the region. Monitored locations include ocean beaches from Palm Beach to , estuarine areas in and sites in Lagoon.

Best beaches Palm Beach, Whale Beach, Avalon Beach, Bilgola Beach, Newport Beach, Bungan Beach, Mona Vale Beach, Beach, South Beach, Shelly Beach, The Basin and Great Mackerel Beach. 20 Ocean beaches These sites had excellent water quality and were suitable for swimming almost all of the time. 10 Estuarine sites Estuarine and lagoon swimming sites did not perform as well as ocean beaches due to lower levels of flushing which increase the 2 Lake/Lagoon sites time needed to disperse and dilute pollution inputs, taking longer to recover from stormwater events. 0 Ocean baths Rainfall impacts Rainfall is the major driver of pollution to recreational waters, generating stormwater runoff and triggering discharges from the wastewater treatment and transport system.

Monitoring in Sydney Beach Suitability Grades for Recreational water quality has been monitored in the Sydney swimming sites region since 1989 by the Department of Planning, Industry and in the Northern Environment’s Beachwatch Program. Sydney region

31 Very good/Good

Beachwatch issues daily beach pollution forecasts to enable beach goers 0 Fair to make informed decisions about where and when to swim. 1 Poor/Very poor For additional information see the State Of The Beaches 2018–19 Report at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/state-of-the-beaches environment.nsw.gov.au/beachwatch G 81 Barrenjoey Beach Beachwatch Northern Sydney VG 100 Great Mackerel Beach report card 2018–19 VG 98 Palm Beach

VG 100 The Basin VG 97 Whale Beach 97% G 100 Paradise Beach Baths swimming G 100 North Scotland Island sites graded

G 100 Clareville Beach Good or

VG 98 Avalon Beach Very good

G 100 Taylors Point Baths

VG 100 Bilgola Beach Beach suitability grade G 100 Elvina Bay VG Very good VG 97 Newport Beach G Good G 98 South Scotland Island F Fair VG 99 Bungan Beach P Poor G 84 Bayview Baths Council VP Very poor VG 99 Mona Vale Beach

Warriewood Beach G 99 Dry weather swimmability

G 100 Turimetta Beach 100 Percentage (%) of dry Narrabeen Lagoon weather samples within G 89 (Birdwood Park) the safe swimming limit

G 97 North Narrabeen Beach

P 87 Bilarong Reserve

G 98 Collaroy Beach

G 98 Long Reef Beach

VG 98 Dee Why Beach

G 97 North Curl Curl Beach

VG 99 South Curl Curl Beach

G 96 Freshwater Beach

G 97 Queenscli€ Beach

G 97 North Steyne Beach

G 94 South Steyne Beach

VG 97 Shelly Beach

Published by Environment, Energy and Science October 2019 EES2019/0319 October 2019. Photo: Cameron Board/EES, DPIE