Brighton, St Kilda, Port Melbourne beaches worst for water quality

It’s famous for its colourful beach boxes, but this Melbourne beach has been named summer’s dirtiest after a sewerage leak caused by a surprising culprit polluted its waters for a week. See how your favourite beach rated.

Brighton beach has been ranked Melbourne's worst beach over summer, while Black Rock beach was among the best.

Calls to clean up Melbourne’s “disgusting” Port Phillip Bay are growing louder, after beaches in Brighton, St Kilda and Port Melbourne were ranked the worst for water quality and more people reported getting sick from swimming.

The EPA’s Best and Worst Beach Report, released last month, labelled Brighton beach as the worst over summer, after a sewerage leak in a nearby street on January 9 polluted the bay for seven days.

It’s likely that baby wipes being flushed down toilets caused the leak.

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St Kilda, Sandridge, South Melbourne, Port Melbourne and Elwood also fell in the bottom six beaches — renewing fears among residents the water is no longer suitable for swimming.

Port Melbourne beach is one of the bottom six. Picture: Jason Edwards

The Leader revealed several pets suffered serious infections after going to inner south beaches over summer, prompting the EPA to issue a warning in March for pet owners to stay away from Port Phillip Bay during poor water conditions.

Fiona Austin and her parents Ted and Sue Whittle take their three dogs for daily walks at off-leash beaches at Beaumaris and Black Rock. All suffered ear, skin and urinary tract infections as a result of swimming over summer.

Sue and Ted Whittle with their dog Mia have been advised to stay away from Port Phillip Bay after bad weather. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Ms Austin said poor water quality wasn’t good enough in such a wealthy city — and a solution must be sought as a matter of priority.

Brighton’s Ryan Lapish, whose golden retriever got sick before Christmas, said he now wants the beach closed.

“It’s disgusting dirty water and dogs are getting sick. Spend some money and fix it … or shut it down,” he said.

Leader understands another lady got an ear infection after snorkelling in the bay.

The best rated beaches in Melbourne were Black Rock, Hampton and Sandringham — sharing the lead with many Geelong and Peninsula beaches.

Hampton beach has been named one of Melbourne’s best. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Geelong’s Eastern beach also made the grade. Picture: Mark Wilson

But the EPA said Melbourne would always contend with pollution due to problems caused by a large population, but water quality in Port Phillip Bay had been improving since 2002.

Chief environmental scientist Andrea Hinwood urged residents to take responsibility and clean up animal poo, litter, plastics, cigarette butts and detergents that often washed into the bay.

It’s a popular spot to escape the heat, but St Kilda beach’s water quality rates poorly. Picture: Jay Town

The State Government has also extended Victoria’s stormwater planning requirements to ensure developments reduce pollution and other harmful effects of stormwater entering waterways.

The EPA’s water report service finished on March 11, but residents are urged to check for smelly and discoloured water and avoid swimming near stormwater or river outlets for 48 hours after heavy rain.