Terrigal water quality public meeting: Water can make you sick

Even on the best day at Terrigal there’s a five to ten per cent chance of getting sick just from swimming in the water. This is the disturbing reality discussed at a public meeting this week.

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Even on the best day at Terrigal Beach and Haven there’s a five to ten per cent chance of getting sick just from swimming in the water, a public meeting has heard.

And don’t even get started about Terrigal Lagoon where only the fool hardy would take the plunge.

The chance of contracting a gastrointestinal condition is “extremely high” and the water “grossly exceeds safe swimming limits” according to NSW Government’s own data.

Terrigal Lagoon is regularly rated very poor in water quality testing.

Despite Terrigal’s undisputed position as the Central Coast’s premier tourist destination, water quality at both the beach and the lagoon has been rated as poor to very poor for a decade.

Residents and water users want something done and scores of people packed into Terrigal Surf Club on Wednesday to voice their concerns.

The meeting was hosted by Terrigal Haven Supporters Group and attended by Terrigal State Liberal MP Adam Crouch.

Terrigal Beach is very popular with swimmers. Picture: Matt Bendt.

Central Coast Council mayor Jane Smith and council staff were invited but could not attend.

Central Coast councillor and Labor candidate for the seat of Terrigal Jeff Sundstrum was there.

Terrigal Haven Supports Group committee members addressed the meeting.

Ray Moore said the problem had been around for a long time with swimmers noticing discolour water and disappearing fish.

He said at Manly in Sydney the exact opposite was the case after that suburb succeeded in having stormwater diverted to ocean outfalls in the 1990s.

“It’s a no-brainer — we have one of the worst beaches in the State and we need a lot of support to access the funding required to address the problem,” he said.

Concerned Terrigal resident Don Woods asks a question during the public meeting on water quality.

Another committee member Ros Fuller is a regular swimmer at Terrigal and said she had long been aware of the “dirty and smelly water” but had assumed it was normal.

“Well, its not normal — and even on a good day there is a five to ten per cent chance of getting sick from pathogens in the water,” she said.

Emily Clegg whose children are in Terrigal Nippers told the meeting that the beach needed to be preserved for future generations.

Emily Clegg speaking at the meeting.

Ray Moore speaks to the public meeting.

“It’s the beach we all love and that’s what brought us all here today,” she said.

“It’s a public health issue to have unsafe levels of bacteria in the water.”

Ms Clegg said the poor water quality issue was also an embarrassment for a tourist area and was having a negative impact on marine life such as sea grass beds, grey nurse sharks and sea turtles.

MP Adam Crouch spoke at the meeting and said it was not an option to do nothing.

He said he was more than happy to work with Central Coast Council to access State Government funding that could begin to solve the problem.

“It’s clear how many people are concerned about this issue.”