Keeping an eye on water quality at the beach

VICTORIA’S annual beach reporting season is under way, with water quality information displayed on signs at 28 Life Saving Victoria clubs around the bay.

Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) are out in Port Phillip again monitoring water quality at 36 beaches and four popular Yarra River locations.

The program provides the community with up-to-date information on water quality during busy beach periods from December 1 until the Labour Day weekend this year.

It allows people to plan before going to the beach and gives them peace of mind that the water is safe to swim in.

This summer, the EPA has launched two videos to help promote the Beach Report service. One explains the causes of water pollution and the other shows what water quality ratings mean.

EPA’s forecasts predict water quality based on the latest weather conditions, water quality history, recent bacterial sampling results and pollution reports.

Last summer’s beach rankings show that Eastern Beach, The Dell, Portarlington, St Leonards, Portsea, Blairgowrie, Sorrento, Santa Casa, Dromana and Rosebud beaches offered the best recreational water quality in the bay.

“This is about safety and wellbeing – making sure people have up-to-date information to make the right choices around our beaches, waterways and catchments,” Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio said.

Beachgoers are encouraged to check the latest forecasts over summer by following EPA Victoria on Twitter or by checking the webiste at yarraandbay.vic.gov.au, which was viewed more than 700,000 times last summer.

Victorians can also sign up online to receive SMS alerts when water quality at their local beach is rated poor.