Blackman’s Bay beach (South) to remain closed to swimmers
Tassie is a week out from summer, but one popular Hobart beach will remain closed to swimmers due to poor water quality concerns.
Tasmania
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WATER quality in the River Derwent has improved on last year, experts say, but there is still one popular beach that will be closed to swimmers a week out from the start of summer.
Seventeen out of 18 River Derwent beaches are marked safe for swimming but Blackmans Bay Beach [South] remains of poor water quality and swimming is not recommended.
This time last year Sandy Bay’s Nutgrove Beach was also off limits to swimmers but recent repairs to stormwater pipes has seen it get the green light.
Kingborough Council and TasWater are investigating possible causes for the decline in water quality at Blackmans Bay.
Investigations have uncovered several breaches in the stormwater and sewer network and some repairs have been carried out.
For a beach to be marked safe for swimming it must return a water test reading of fewer than 500 enterococci Most Probable Number per 100ml.
Kingborough Council’s testing at Blackmans Bay Beach [South] this week saw the area return a reading of 10 MPN – about 3000 less than the January test results.
Kingborough Mayor Dean Winter said the figures were “probably the best we’ve ever got”. But he said the council would hold off requesting permission to remove the beach’s poor water quality rating.
“We don’t want to remove the signs until we are absolutely certain the issues have been resolved. Even though the water quality is very good at the moment, we are conscious things can change quickly,” he said.
“It is going to take a lot of work to restore confidence after the horror summer we had last year.”
Derwent Estuary Program chief executive Ursula Taylor said Hobart’s beach water quality was “in an enviable position to this time last year”.
“The good news this year is only one beach is not recommended for swimmers, but a lot of work is being done to monitor the river’s ongoing health and there are encouraging signs,” she said.
EPA STEPS IN TO FIX POOR WATER QUALITY
The Estuary Program will next month begin its annual four-month testing of River Derwent water quality.
An Environment Protection Authority spokeswoman said the organisation was working with Analytical Services Tasmania and the Derwent Estuary Program to monitor Blackmans Bay Beach water quality.
“The organisations are working with the council to prepare to characterise faecal contamination that may appear over summer,” the spokeswoman said.
“The project will involve about ten sampling runs and additional ones if high bacterial counts are detected.
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“Testing is intended to determine the nature of faecal contamination and its origins, and aims to ascertain whether the high bacterial counts are connected to human waste coming via stormwater or some other origin, or animal source, or a combination of sources.”
Port Sorell Surf Life Saving Club’s Allana Bugge said water quality at beaches in the state’s North-West appeared in “great condition for swimmers” ahead of summer.
james.kitto@news.com.au
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