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Beach Report 2008–09

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Beach Report 2008–09 ENVIRONMENT REPORT BEACH REPORT 2008–09 Publication 1297 November 2009 SUMMARY The program aims to: • provide information to the public about beach EPA Victoria generally found good water quality at water quality Port Phillip Bay beaches over the 2008—09 Beach • identify short-term pollution problems Report season. The majority of results met short-term and summer season water quality guidelines and • look for long-term changes in water quality objectives for primary contact (in other words, • provide the data necessary to support beach water swimming, diving or surfing). This generally reflected quality forecasting. the mostly fine weather over summer. Stormwater The data collected assists EPA and local councils to run-off after rainfall and localised catchment sources effectively respond to pollution incidents when they (on fine days) affected beach quality on a small occur and identify areas for improved stormwater number of days. management. Beach Report also highlights actions the Long-term, beach water quality remains very good. wider community can take to protect bay beaches (for Historical results reinforce the pattern of rain further information go to temporarily causing poor water quality at bay beaches. www.epa.vic.gov.au/BeachReport). As a general precaution, EPA advises against swimming near stormwater drains, rivers, streams and other outlets into Port Phillip Bay during rainfall and for at least 24 hours afterwards. EPA provides information about beach water quality as part of the Beach Report program. We collected weekly water samples during summer in order to provide up-to-date information about beaches in Port Phillip Bay and to support beach water quality forecasting. Weekly water quality results and daily water quality forecasts are reported in major Photo 1: A busy day at the beach. newspapers and on the EPA website (www.epa.vic.gov.au/BeachReport). Since March 2008 EPA has conducted an expanded WHAT DO WE MONITOR? beach monitoring program including bacteria, heavy EPA monitors levels of enterococci (measured in metals, organic chemicals and algae. Further organisms/100 mL), a group of bacteria found in the information can be found in EPA publication 1279, intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals. Elevated Beach water quality monitoring program in Port Phillip levels of enterococci are a sign of possible faecal Bay — summary of results 2008–09. pollution. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Health and Medical Research Council EPA’S BEACH REPORT PROGRAM (NHMRC) recognise these bacteria as the best indicator for primary-contact (i.e. swimming, diving or EPA’s Beach Report program provides information to surfing) recreational water quality in marine the community about forecast beach water quality. It environments1. is supported by a weekly monitoring of water quality. Where monitoring identifies poor water quality, advice is provided to the community. WHY DO WE MONITOR? Beach Report provides the latest information on water quality so that beachgoers can make informed 1 Previous Beach Reports have also reported E. coli levels. With a sufficient decisions about visiting bay beaches. history of enterococci monitoring now available and the NHMRC Guidelines indicating that enterococci is a better indicator for primary recreation in marine waters, E. coli will no longer be reported. 1 BEACH REPORT 2008–09 Figure 1: Beaches sampled in the Beach Report program (LSC — Life saving club; CG — Coast Guard) HOW DO WE ASSESS BEACH WATER contact recreation (75th percentile ≤150 enterococci/100 mL)3. QUALITY? Short-term water quality is principally assessed FORECASTING BEACH WATER QUALITY against an investigation level and short-term human health level trigger. These trigger levels were derived EPA issues beach water quality forecasts every day from National Health and Medical Research Council during summer. The forecasts use recent sample (NHMRC) 2008 guidelines and from historical results, beach history and weather conditions to monitoring of beaches in Port Phillip Bay. assign a rating of Good, Fair, Poor or Unacceptable for each beach. EPA undertakes resampling if any results are over the investigation trigger value of 500 enterococci/100 mL. The forecast makes predictions based principally on An investigation is commenced if bacterial levels are weather patterns. The most important factor is over the investigation trigger during dry weather rainfall. When rain enters the stormwater system it (refer to ‘Site investigations’ section on page 4). EPA can wash pollutants into the nearest waterway and works closely with local councils during these onto the local beach. The forecasts cannot predict the investigations. effect of localised sources of contamination (such as a leak from a public toilet block) on water quality. EPA advises beach users against swimming if any site has two consecutive daily results over the investigation EPA is actively improving the accuracy of the trigger value, or any site has a single sample over the forecasts by updating the model on which the short-term human health level trigger (3500 predictions are based and continued surveying of enterococci/100 mL) that is not linked to rain2. EPA specific beaches. works with the Department of Human Services (DHS) and local government to communicate such advisories. 2 Water quality forecasts and general advice to beach users are used to Water quality for the whole 2008–09 summer season alert users to water quality impacts associated with rain. and long-term water quality are assessed against the 3 Previous Beach Reports have also provided an assessment against the State environment protection policy (Waters of SEPP (WoV) median objective for enterococci. The beach quality Victoria) 2003 [SEPP (WoV)] objective for primary measurements of greatest public concern are the high values. As the median has a tendency to not capture these high values, it has not been used in the 2008–09 Beach Report. 2 BEACH REPORT 2008–09 HOW WAS THE WATER QUALITY? • stormwater run-off after rain in December (refer to Figure 3) — weekly samples at Rosebud and EPA monitored 36 beaches across Port Phillip Bay (see Williamstown were associated with rain before Figure 1) from 24 November 2008 to the Labour Day sampling. weekend, 9 March 20094. Weekly samples were • localised catchment sources during dry weather — collected each Monday morning. During this period three weekly samples at Mornington and one each 540 water samples were collected. at Altona and Mentone. This summer, water quality at beaches around Port When elevated bacterial levels were found during dry Phillip Bay was generally good during fine weather. weather, EPA conducted a site inspection and Similar to previous years, higher bacterial levels were continued sampling until water quality returned to often associated with stormwater run-off after rain. In normal. The majority of follow-up samples reported addition, localised catchment sources also affected low bacterial levels the next day. Where necessary, water quality on some dry weather days. EPA provided general advice to beach users about beach water quality. The site inspections performed Short-term water quality this summer are described further on page 4. ‘Short-term water quality’ refers to the bacterial levels Historical mean on any given day or week. Figure 2 provides a 90 2008-2009 mean summary of the routine monitoring results from 80 2008–09 compared to the past four years. It shows 70 that the majority of beaches over the 2008–09 Beach 60 Report season had good water quality, with beaches 50 commonly having bacterial levels below the limit of 40 detection (<10 orgs/mL). The mostly fine weather over 30 this summer contributed to the good beach water (mm) rainfall Total 20 quality observed. 10 0 December January February March 2004-05 Figure 3. Monthly rainfall (average of five sites: 2005-06 Avalon, Cerberus, Laverton, Melbourne, Moorabbin) during the 2008—09 Beach Report season. 2006-07 Summer season water quality 2007-08 ‘Summer season water quality’ refers to the overall 2008-09 water quality over the summer at each beach rather than water quality on an individual day. It is a measure 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% of the prevailing water quality conditions across the Percent of routine samples summer period, as opposed to single events. EPA assesses overall water quality for the summer season against the SEPP (WoV) 75th percentile Below detection limit <10 org/100 mL objective for primary contact recreation.. All beaches Below investigation trigger 10–500 org/100 mL (with the exception of Mornington Beach) met this objective during the 2008–09 summer (see Appendix Above investigation trigger >500 org/100 mL 2). Mornington beach was slightly above the objective due to some high bacterial results from mid January Figure 2: Summary of routine enterococci results to early February 2009 (see ‘Site investigations’ for the last five years. section on page 4). Long-term water quality Bacterial levels over the investigation level trigger (>500 orgs/100 mL) were detected on seven occasions Long-term trends are assessed by comparisons of (see highlighted results in Table 2, Appendix 1), and yearly 75th percentiles against the SEPP (WoV) 75th were associated with: percentile objective for primary contact recreation. Beach water quality over the last five years has been good, with the majority of beaches consistently meeting the SEPP (WoV) objective. There has been no change in beach water quality over this period (refer to Appendix 2). On the small number of occasions the 4 Since March 2008 EPA has conducted an expanded beach monitoring SEPP (WoV) objective was not met, high bacteria program including bacteria, heavy metals, organic chemicals and algae. 3 BEACH REPORT 2008–09 levels were largely due to stormwater run-off, with a term water quality investigation level trigger. All contribution on fine days from local catchment beaches (with the exception of Mornington beach) met sources. the SEPP (WoV) 75th percentile objective over the summer season.
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