Shoalhaven Beachwatch Program
 

Recreational water quality monitoring is an important activity to provide data for the assessment of the health risks to swimmers. Urban, agricultural and industrial runoff can contaminate beaches and estuaries, particularly after rainfall.

The Australian Water Quality Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Waters (ANZECC 1992) and the Australian Guidelines for Recreation use of Water (NHMRC 1990) provides the safe limits for the bacterial quality of water for primary contact.

Beachwatch is a DECC initiative to monitor popular swimming beaches for compliance with the health guidelines. Shoalhaven Council has worked in partnership with the DECC to extend the Beachwatch program to the Shoalhaven region by sampling ten popular swimming locations throughout the 2008/2009 swimming period.

• Department of Environmental and Climate Change (DECC) (http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au)
   
• Beachwatch (DEC) (http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/beach/)
   
• Patrolled Beaches http://shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/council/sections/Aquatic/Default.htm
   
• Off Leash Areas for dogs http://shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/council/sections/animals/AccessAreasforDogs.pdf