The latest State of the Beaches report has revealed 91 per cent of our monitored ocean beaches and spots are graded as good or very good so why not take a dip!

The annual report provides an overview of water quality at 214 swimming locations across the State, of which we have 32 that are monitored under the NSW Government’s Beachwatch and Beachwatch Partnership programs.

The program has been running since 1989 and has five categories of water quality ratings including - very good, good, fair, poor or very poor.

This year we dropped only slightly compared to last year’s figures from 94% to 91% with three sites – Billarong Reserve, Birdwood Park and Bayview Baths rating poor.

The past year’s heavy rainfall has generated increased stormwater runoff and together with limited tidal flushing at these locations has caused these results. Council undertakes numerous activities to reduce stormwater pollution including installing and maintaining water quality improvement devices, education programs and street sweeping.

So, the good news? There is still 29 out of 32 spots on the Beaches graded ‘Very Good’ or ‘Good’ meaning they were suitable for swimming most or almost all of the time.

As a general precaution, it is recommended that swimming at lake and lagoon swimming sites, together with Pittwater and the Harbour, be avoided during and for up to three days after rainfall or if there are signs of stormwater pollution such as discoloured water or floating debris.

The Beachwatch program works by routinely collecting water from swimming sites and testing for bacteria as an indicator of contamination.

Beachwatch also issues daily early morning forecasts for the predicted water quality at 160 swim sites in Sydney, Hunter, Central Coast and Illawarra regions.

The 2021-22 State of the Beaches report can be viewed here.  And the Daily Beachwatch pollution forecasts and weekly star ratings for beaches across NSW can be found on the NSW Government website.