Good news, Sydney swimmers: the vast majority of your city’s beaches were found to be absolutely delightful… with a couple of notable exceptions.
According to the new NSW Government’s 2016 State of the Beaches report, both Coogee Beach and Malabar Beach have been downgraded to a “Poor” rating. FWIW, that means the beaches were found to be “susceptible to faecal pollution and microbial water quality is not always suitable for swimming.”
Delightful.
The upshot is that both spots were found to have elevated levels of bacteria just after January’s crazy rainfall. Massive amounts of rainwater drainage after those storms meant all kinds of microbial badness infiltrated the usually-good swimming spots, and the report notes both spots are a-okay during dry periods.
Those storms “did not significantly increase the risk to public health from the previous year,” but the report reminded anyone lookin’ to dip their toes check for obvious signs of pollution, and to avoid those spots for a few days after significant rainfall.
That caveat doesn’t apply to poor ol’ Foreshores Beach in Botany Bay, which once again landed a “Very Poor” rating. That’s due to the fact it’s “very susceptible to pollution from the sewage overflows” from a creek in the vicinity. Read: poop be here. Avoid.
Scope out your favourite spot in the full report, which is available right here.
