Sydney Metropolitan Area Harbour Swimming Sites
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Sydney Metropolitan Area Harbour Swimming Sites Lower Georges River Harbourwatch The Harbourwatch Program 251 Lower Georges River Sites: Jew Fish Bay Baths, Como Baths, Oatley Bay Baths, Carss Point Baths, Sandringham Baths and Dolls Point Baths g3 g3 g3 King Georges Rd g3 HURSTVILLE KOGARAH 8É 8É 8É 8É Princes Hwy 8É 8É g3 The Grand Parade g3 g3 g3 h3 OATLEY g3 g3B5 g3 g3 Jew Fish Oatley g3 Bay g3 Bay 5 g3 g3 g3B Baths Baths SANS SOUCI BOTANY B5 g3 BAY g3 Carss Point Como GEORGES RIVER g3 Baths g3 g3 B5 B5 g3 Baths 8É 8É Dolls Point g3 8É g3 Baths 8É g3 B5 g3 Sandringham Baths COMO 8É 8É 8É 8É SYLVANIA 8É Port Hacking Rd 8É 8É y 00.51 WOOLOOWARE Taren Point Rd Kilometres 8É BAY 8É LEGEND B5 Sampling Site CARINGBAH Major road 8É g3 Small stormwater drain 8É g3 Medium stormwater drain g3 Large stormwater drain s 4 Open stormwater8É drain 8É e 8É Harbourwatch 8É Creek 8É h3 8É 8É Designed structure sewage overflow 4 e hh33 h3 8É Undirected sewage overflow @® Sewage treatment plant Park / reserve Other land 252 State of the Beaches 2004–2005 Lower Georges River Location Combined Councils Committee, which includes the ‘Riverkeeper Program’. The Lower Georges River is the 10- Georges River Combined Councils Committee kilometre downstream reach of the 96- kilometre-long Georges River. Land use in The Georges River Combined Councils the Lower Georges River catchment is Committee consists of nine Councils mostly residential, with some industrial, working together to lobby for the protection commercial, recreational and bushland. of the River. The Committee manages the ‘Riverkeeper Program’, which has held a Hurstville, Kogarah, Rockdale and number of clean-ups removing litter from Sutherland Councils operate in this area. the foreshores for the Georges River. It Compliance with guidelines assists Councils and other stakeholders to rehabilitate the River to ensure a sustainable Compliance of Lower Georges River sites future. with the guidelines was varied during summer 2004–2005 (Table 21). Grant Funding Dolls Point Baths complied 100% of the time Hurstville Council, Kogarah Council and for both indicators, and a relatively high Rockdale City Council received funding level of compliance was also recorded at through the DEC Sustainability Grants Jew Fish and Sandringham baths. Program for the Sustainable Living in St Enterococci compliances of less than 80% George – Retrofitting for Residents were recorded at Como, Oatley Bay and program, involving environmental Carss Point Baths. assessments and retrofits for 63 households in the area. The range of indicator bacteria levels Rockdale Council measured at Botany Bay, Lower Georges River and Port Hacking swimming areas Street Sweeping: Council has continued its during summer 2004–2005 is shown in street sweeping program and monitors the Figure 28. Lower Georges River sites are waste collected by street sweepers. highlighted in grey. Levels of faecal Scott Park Wetland: The wetland officially coliforms and enterococci tended to be opened in March 2005 after construction similar to the range of values measured over the last 2 years on a disused soccer across the local estuaries. field at Dolls Point. The wetland treats Ranking of beaches water flowing into the lower Georges River. All monitored harbour and ocean beach School Education: Council visited local swimming locations in the Hunter, Sydney primary schools to conduct an and Illawarra regions were ranked on the environmental education lesson focusing on basis of their compliance with swimming stormwater management. Stage 1 and 5 guidelines during summer 2004–2005. A students participated in the program, and at total of 23 rankings were determined for the the end of the session were given a take- 126 sites, with many sites ranked equally. home exercise to encourage them to take the environmental messages home to their Dolls Point Baths was ranked equal first, families. while Jew Fish Bay Baths, Como and Sandringham baths were also in the top ten Council has also prepared a 'Schools rankings. Carss Point Baths was ranked Environmental Management Kit', which 14th and Oatley Bay Baths 17th (Table 21). includes posters, stickers, and a drain stencil. The Kit has been distributed to all Actions to improve water quality primary schools in the Rockdale area. Actions specific to individual swimming Community Education: Educational signage Harbourwatch locations are included on the beach pages. has been designed for the Georges River Improvements in water quality are also Catchment. The signs consist of an aerial expected as a result of the Georges River The Harbourwatch Program 253 photo of the catchment, with arrows Sutherland Shire Council showing where stormwater flows. Residents are able to locate where they live Woronora Estuary Management Plan: Council on the signs and see where their drains has completed data collection and discharge into the waterways. interpretation of the first stage of the plan. Commencement of the second and final As part of Council’s educational program, stage of the plan is underway and involves tours have been held at local wetlands, led the preparation of an estuary processes by a local wetland specialist, and there was model and finalising of the Woronora a ‘Coastal Activities Day’ aimed at Estuary Management Plan. educating the whole family. Kogarah Council Lower Georges River Stormwater Action Project: In reviewing its progress in Water Quality Management Strategy: Kogarah implementing the Lower Georges River Council has developed a targeted ‘Water Stormwater Management Plan, Council Quality Management Strategy’ (WQMS) developed a new set of Council-wide based on the framework of risk assessment stormwater management actions and and management. The WQMS aims to be a integrated them into its Environment Plan key decision-making tool for council. A and consequently Management Plan. community-based water quality monitoring Implementation of these actions is ongoing. program has also been established, targeting areas that have been identified in Hurstville Council the water quality management strategy. The Plan of Management for Oatley Park: Council monitoring program involves the collection has prepared a Plan of Management for of water samples from a variety of locations Oatley Park that identifies and addresses within the local government area every key issues for Oatley Park and provides month. guidelines for the short- and long-term New Gross Pollutant Traps: The last management of this significant area of remaining untreated stormwater outlets remnant bushland. draining into Kogarah Bay at Mayor Street Stormwater Training and Internal Audit and Payten Street have been fitted with Program: Council’s staff developed this litter and sediment control devices. A program to improve awareness, knowledge combination of pit litter baskets, Permapave and skills of staff. The internal audit pavers and pit lintel skirts were installed in program ensures that standard operational February March 2005 to capture and filter environmental procedures are being gross pollutants and sediments. applied and that good practices are being A continuous deflective separator (CDS) implemented. unit was installed (November 2004) on the Stormwater Management: Council has western side of the Moore Reserve Wetland installed 13 GPTs, as well as around 500 stormwater drainage system. It is believed litter traps in pits around the Hurstville that this GPT will improve the health of CBD. It has also constructed the Riverwood Moore Reserve Wetland and Oatley Bay. and Lime Kiln Bay Wetlands. The Installation of litter and sediment control stormwater devices are regularly devices at Donnelly Reserve, Kyle Bay; and maintained and improve the stormwater Harbourwatch at Connells Point Reserve, Connells Point quality entering the Georges River. and Shipwright Bay, Blakehurst, will Catchment Care at Hurstville: The Council improve the stormwater quality in the Bays continues to deliver a primary school and the Georges River. education program, which covers Stormwater Quality Device Management: stormwater pollution and catchment Around 113 tonnes of rubbish was collected management issues. A catchment model is last year from pits and small GPTs and also used to demonstrate stormwater disposed of by Kogarah Council. The larger pollution and how it affects our waterways. GPTs located in Poulton Park (South Hurstville), Moore Reserve (Hurstville 254 State of the Beaches 2004–2005 Grove), Empress Reserve (Hurstville South), Reserve and Grosvenor Reserve. These Donnelly Reserve (Connells Point) and signs explain how a GPT functions, how Grosvenor Reserve (Hurstville South) are many pollutants are removed, and what the cleaned on a regular maintenance cycle. impact is on receiving waters. This year, approximately 85 tonnes of At Sans Souci public schools, Council has rubbish was removed from our larger GPTs. implemented an interactive stormwater Community Education: Educational signage education project called Catchment has been installed in Moore Reserve, Crusaders that aims to minimise the Poulton Park, Empress Reserve, Donnelly generation of pollution and its impact. Table 21: Compliance and Ranking of Lower Georges River Sites during Summer 2004–2005 Site Compliance (%) Overall ranking Faecal Coliforms Enterococci (out of 23) Jew Fish Bay Baths 100 94 3 Como Baths 100 78 10 Oatley Bay Baths 84 69 17 Carss Point Baths 97 69 14 Sandringham Baths 100 94 3 Dolls Point Baths 100 100 1 Harbourwatch The Harbourwatch Program 255 Figure 28: Bacterial