Section of Howrah Beach remains off limits to swimmers as authorities investigate source of contamination

With summer only weeks away, swimmers are being warned a section of an Eastern Shore beach will remain closed as authorities reveal the cause of ongoing water quality issues.

A STRETCH of beach on Hobart’s Eastern Shore will stay off limits to swimmers this summer, with almost 30 issues in the area thought to be contributing to a water quality issue.

The water quality in the middle section of Howrah Beach was downgraded earlier this year from a fair to poor rating, meaning swimmers are warned against entering the water.

A subsequent investigation by Clarence City Council has found 28 issues in the Howrah catchment area, including several cases of damage to sewer and stormwater infrastructure.

Of those, 10 have been resolved and 15 are in the process of being fixed while three remain under investigation.

Clarence Mayor Doug Chipman said the council was working closely with the Derwent Estuary Program and TasWater to solve the problems.

At a pop-up community information session in Howrah on Saturday, Mr Chipman said the council was undertaking a thorough investigation into the possible sources of contamination.

“Tasmanians take great pride in the quality of the environment. It’s a brand issue for Tasmanians and the River Derwent is part of that, and we all love to go for a swim,” he said.

“If part of it is not suitable for swimming, it’s a real concern for all Tasmanians.

“We’re really keen to solve this problem as quickly as we can.”

Clarence Mayor Doug Chipman, Derwent Estuary Program chief executive Ursula Taylor and TasWater system performance and productivity department manager Fran Smith on Howrah Beach. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Derwent Estuary Program chief executive Ursula Taylor said water testing took place weekly between December and March to monitor quality.

Ms Taylor said the fact only one out of 22 beach sites in Hobart was rated poor was a good result for a capital city.

“There are lots of places where you can safely swim and this one is advising people to avoid the area for the time being,” she said.

“We’ve been working closely with Clarence [Council] and also TasWater when we became aware of this result to track down the source of the contamination.

“If we have a good season this year, we’re hopeful that the middle part of Howrah Beach will come back down into the fair category.”

Swimmers can become ill if they decide to enter the water in areas of concern.

Ms Taylor said ageing infrastructure and heavy rainfall events, which resulted in pollutants washing into the system, were among the main causes of contamination.

TasWater’s system performance and productivity department manager Fran Smith encouraged the community to be mindful of what they put down the sewer, as it could cause problems.

“We have a three P’s program – so pee, poo and paper – are the things that go down the sewer,” she said.

“We often find significant blockages of things that have been put down incorrectly ... the community can play a part.”

Ms Smith warned against putting fats, oil, vegetable matter or other items down the kitchen sink plug hole.

Follow @cwhiteley12