Each year the NSW Government releases a water quality report which monitors the water quality of 228 NSW swimming sites. You can read the full The State of the Beaches Report 2022 – 2023 here.
The reports look at the water quality at Tambourine Bay, Woodford Bay and, importantly, Greenwich Baths.
In the last report, Greenwich Baths and Woodford Bay were rated good.
Tambourine Bay was rated poor (it was rated poor last year).
Lane Cove Council maintains a number of Gross Pollutant Traps in the catchment area to reduce the impact of stormwater on the waterways.
NSW State Government funding cuts may leave the health and safety of Lane Cove swimmers at risk, shifting water quality monitoring costs to local councils.
The Beachwatch program will stop testing local waters for contaminants like faecal matter from 1 July 2024
All sites are tested monthly from May to September and weekly from October to April.
A spokesperson for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) told ITC:
“In 2022, the previous NSW Government made a decision to implement a universal Beachwatch Partnership Program which would allow an equitable partnership model with local councils across NSW, rather than the existing model where regional and inland councils pay while Sydney coastal councils did not.
Under this model, councils may opt into the Beachwatch Partnership Program and select the number of swim sites they wish to promote and frequency of monitoring.
The NSW Government will co-invest with councils in the Beachwatch program to the value of $18.5 million, by contributing some of the labour and operational costs and supporting the reporting platform, website and forecast model.
Consultation regarding a transition to the Beachwatch Partnership Program is ongoing.”
Mosman Collective reported that three options have been given to councils from the Department of Planning and Environment for the new “partnership program”.
The councils can monitor the water quality themselves, collect samples and send them to the DPE for testing, or have the full testing service, which has been free until now.
This is another example of cost shifting from the NSW state government to local councils, read more here.
Lane Cove Council Compliance Team Under Pressure
The Lane Cove Council compliance team is under pressure, and shifting another service to local councils will only increase the pressure.
A Lane Cove Council Compliance officer last year made a report under the Public Information Disclosure Act and sent it to the media and the Mayor on a deficiency in the Mandatory Pool Safety Inspection Programme. The Compliance Officer was stood down while an external consultant investigated the matter. Lane Cove Council advised that the matter is still under investigation.
The Lane Cove Council compliance officer alleges he initially raised concerns about the lack of a Mandatory Pool Safety Inspection Programme with the Council’s General Manager, but when he was unsatisfied with the response he received, he made a report under the Public Information Disclosure Act.
Read more here.
In December 2024, the Environmental Health Officer (the officer who undertakes Food Safety Inspections) resigned. The position was advertised in February 2024 with applications closing on 28 February 2024. Every month, details of food inspections are listed in the council snapshot. The March 2024 snapshot does not include any information on food inspections.
Background
Greenwich Baths
Greenwich Baths is a popular swimming spot in the Lane Cove Council area and they also run a beach safety programme. The Baths have a netted swimming area and a sandy beach.
You can book the water safety programme here.
Tambourine Bay
Tambourine Bay is in the lower Lane Cove River. The swimming enclosure has been removed and a beautiful picnic area has now. It was rated poor.
Woodford Bay
Woodford Bay has been a popular swimming spot for kids.
The first record of contact between the British and the Cameraygal people took place at Woodford Bay on 14 February 1790.
Woodford Bay/Lucretia Bathis is one of the 3 remaining examples of timber “shark” paling harbourside baths left in Sydney.
It is currently closed due to the condition of the palings – find out more here.
Northbridge Baths
Many Lane Cove families like to swim at Northbridge Baths.
Northbridge Baths Bay was downgraded last year to Poor due to a decline in microbial water quality. It was rated poor again this year.
Swimming After Rain
The most important message to take away from this report is that swimming in harbourside water areas after rain is not a good idea.
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