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

South Coast report card 2018–19

This report card provides a long-term assessment of how suitable a site is for swimming on the South Coast of . Monitored locations include ocean beaches from Beach to Cocora Beach, an ocean bath, estuarine areas in Bermagui Harbour, Lake and , and lake sites in Mogareeka Inlet.

Best beaches Shoalhaven Heads Beach, Tilbury Cove, Warrain Beach, Collingwood Beach, Beach, Beach, Rennies Beach, 29 Ocean beaches Beach, Merry Beach, Cookies Beach, Malua Bay Beach, Bengello Beach, Brou Beach, Narooma Main Beach, Camel Rock Beach, Horseshoe Bay (Bermagui), Beares Beach, Mogareeka Lions 4 Estuarine sites Park, Tathra Beach, Main Beach (Merimbula), Pambula Beach and Aslings Beach. 2 Lake/Lagoon sites These sites had excellent water quality and were suitable for swimming almost all of the time. 1 Ocean baths Estuarine and lake/lagoon swimming sites generally do not perform as well as ocean beaches due to lower levels of flushing which increase the time needed to disperse and dilute pollution inputs, taking longer to recover from stormwater events.

Rainfall impacts Rainfall is the major driver of pollution to recreational waters, Beach Suitability generating stormwater runoff and triggering discharges from Grades for the wastewater treatment and transport system. swimming sites in the South Monitoring on the South Coast Coast region Recreational water quality has been monitored in the South Coast region since 2002 by Shoalhaven City Council, Council and Council under the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment’s Beachwatch Partnership Program. 35 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 Beachwatch South Coast

Shoalhaven City Council report card 2018–19

VG 94 Shoalhaven Heads 97% Beach VG 97 Tilbury Cove swimming

VG 100 Warrain Beach sites graded VG 100 Collingwood Beach Good or VG 100 Cudmirrah Beach Very good VG 100 Mollymook Beach

VG 97 Rennies Beach

G 94 Racecourse Beach Beach suitability grade VG 100 Bawley Point Beach

VG 100 Merry Beach VG Very good

VG 98 Cookies Beach G Good Eurobodalla Shire G 91 Caseys Beach Council F Fair P 81 Surf Beach

VG 98 Malua Bay Beach P Poor

G 98 Broulee Beach VP Very poor VG 95 Bengello Beach G 98 Shelley Beach Dry weather swimmability G 97 Tuross Main Beach 100 Percentage (%) of dry VG 100 Brou Beach weather samples within the safe swimming limit G 91 Wagonga Inlet VG 100 Narooma Main Beach VG 100 Camel Rock Beach

G 100 Bruce Steer Pool VG 96 Horseshoe Bay (Bermagui) Bega Valley G 96 Big Blue Pool Shire Council VG 100 Beares Beach G 90 Mogareeka Inlet

VG 100 Mogareeka Lions Park VG 95 Tathra Beach G 96 Short Point Beach G 100 Bar Beach VG 100 Main Beach (Merimbula) VG 100 Pambula Beach G 92 Pambula River Mouth VG 93 Aslings Beach G 96 Cocora Beach

Published by Environment, Energy and Science October 2019 EES2019/0323 October 2019. Photo: Beachwatch/EES, DPIE