Sydney pools fail health tests with levels exceeding safe limits

FIVE of Sydney’s hottest swimming spots have failed stringent health tests, the Saturday Telegraph can reveal, with each location recording elevated levels of conditions which can breed dangerous bacteria such as legionella or others that cause ­urinary or internal infections.

Natalie Webb, Cullen Whitecliffe, Alex Randall and Joshua Spragg enjoyed a splash at Prince Alfred pool yesterday.

UNSUSPECTING swimmers are diving into “bacteria breeding grounds” at some of Sydney’s most popular public pools.

In a special investigation by The Saturday Telegraph five of the city’s hottest swimming spots failed stringent tests, with each location recording elevated levels of heterotrophic bacteria clusters, which can be a Petri dish for more dangerous bacteria such as legionella or others that cause ­urinary or internal infections.

The worrying findings were recorded this week by a nationally accredited water testing company at the Aquatic Centre at Sydney Olympic Park, the Whitlam Centre in Liverpool, Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre, Victoria Park Pool and Prince Alfred Park Pool.

Each sample returned the maximum reading of “greater than 300” colony-forming units in a heterotrophic plate count (HPC) test. NSW Health guidelines require urgent retesting for any readings over 100 HPC.

Samples collected by The Saturday Telegraph were put through an exacting 48-hour testing procedure by Sonic Food and Water Testing, which specialises in testing commercial swimming pools.

And Western Sydney University water quality specialist Dr Ian Wright said the results meant the pools should be closed and formally investigated.

“Based on these results urgent follow-up sampling and investigation is needed,” Dr Wright said.

A spokesman for the Aquatic Centre at Sydney Olympic Park said: “Water quality is a top priority for the aquatic centre.” Picture: Toby Zerna

“And frankly, pool operators and NSW Health should consider shutting the pools until more detailed tests are available.”

The results from the five pools follow a public health warning issued in December when NSW Health warned swimmers to avoid pubic pools after 56 people were struck down in less than a month with a parasitic infection.

Sonic scientists told The Saturday Telegraph the bacteria counts recorded at this week’s testing sites breached NSW Health guidelines and indicated that water health was poor.

Secondary testing of E.coli and the dangerous pseudomonas aeruginosa strands at the five pools were within Australian guideline standards.

A spokesman for Liverpool City Council — responsible for the Whitlam Leisure Centre — said the pool had been closed multiple times in the past year due to contamination.

A spokesman for Sonic said about 15 per cent of samples from commercial swimming pools in Sydney record similarly high readings.

“The results can fluctuate greatly depending on the time of day and how many people are in the pool,” he said.

“If I was a pool manager I would be a bit worried getting these results and I would retest the water the next day. If they were still very high I would be looking at a disinfection program.

“A lot of pools do not adjust their chemical loadings over summer and when it is really hot or lots of people are in the pool they might need to do three times as much as normal over summer.”

Last night a spokeswoman for NSW Health said it was the responsibility of councils to maintain pool health. A spokesman for Liverpool City Council — responsible for the Whitlam Leisure Centre — said the pool had been closed multiple times in the past year due to contamination.

Victoria Park Pool, Broadway, Sydney.

“As per standard operating procedures, pools have been closed in the past 12 months on occasions when water quality was affected by vomit or soiling,” he said.

A spokesman for the City of Sydney-managed Prince Alfred Park Pool and Victoria Park Pool confirmed the facilities had recorded minor levels of bacteria during their own tests in recent weeks. However, he said the levels were within acceptable guidelines.

“Manual chlorine testing is completed daily prior to the pool opening, then a further minimum three times throughout the day,” he said.

A Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre spokesman “refuted” the test results for the facility. Picture: Jenny Evans

“Bacterial testing is completed monthly and super chlorination is completed weekly. Following several verbal discussions with a media outlet, we are concerned their water samples, said to have been taken at our pools, may not have been taken in accordance with appropriate practices.”

A Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre spokesman “refuted” the test results and revealed two lap pools had tested positive for minor levels of microbes on January 11.

“Council has a robust methodology of monitoring water quality at Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre,” he said.

And a spokesman for the Aquatic Centre at Sydney Olympic Park said: “Water quality is a top priority for the aquatic centre and our water quality systems have been endorsed by NSW Health.”

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Several scientists who interpreted the data for The Saturday Telegraph said the bacteria could affect healthy swimmers but would more likely compromise those with weaker immune systems. Swimmers at Prince Alfred Park said they were shocked at the test results. Midwife Melissa Keightley, 25, said she chose the pool because the water looked cleaner than neighbouring Victoria Park.

“Now that I know the results it bothers me but we thought it looked pretty clean compared to Victoria Park Pool,” she said. “We were there yesterday and the water looks a bit green, which was really off-putting.”

Youngsters Natalie Webb, Cullen Whitecliffe, Alex Randall and Joshua Spragg were also swimming at the pool and Natalie’s mum Sophie Webb said that the results were concerning but she would still prefer to take her children there because it is outdoors.

“I’m more concerned about the indoor facilities which is why we came to Prince Alfred,” she said

Dr Wright said pools were required to undergo heterotrophic testing once a month but warned operators should be required to test far more frequently.

“NSW government monitors swimming beaches in Sydney under the beachwatch program,” he said.

“I understand that they take bacteria samples every six days in the swimming season. It is curious to me that swimming pools are required to sample less often and test for different bacteria.”