Sydney residents urged to avoid swimming in polluted waterways
Beachgoers urged to avoid swimming after pollution alert causes health concerns.
Environment
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Sydneysiders keen to escape the heat as temperatures soar are being warned to reconsider taking a dip in the water as pollution levels spike.
Temperatures are set to hit well above 30 degrees in the NSW capital this weekend, with Penrith forecast to reach 40 degrees on Sunday.
Some beachgoers have opted to head to the water’s edge to try to their best to cool off as temperatures soar.
But authorities are urging residents to avoid swimming in polluted water after recent rainfall caused widespread bacteria to form in certain popular beaches.
Beachwatch NSW confirmed most beaches have now recovered but warned visitors that some harbour and estuarine swim sites are still being impacted by stormwater pollution on Saturday.
Those beaches include Rose Bay Beach, Hay Street Beach, Tambourine Bay and Woolwich Baths.
Swimmers are being encouraged to avoid polluted water to protect them from potential bacterial infection.
Authorities have encouraged people to check the Beachwatch website for further details.
It comes as almost all beaches south of Narrabeen on the Northern Beaches were given a red warning of high contamination levels during the week.
However, most of those beaches have now been cleared or at least been marked as improving.
Originally published as Sydney residents urged to avoid swimming in polluted waterways
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