Illawarra region beaches
For individual beach information download Illawarra Region Beaches (09634bwar09ch3illwra.pdf, 1128kb)
Summary
The Illawarra region had excellent results, with 16 of the 18 beaches monitored for both faecal coliforms and enterococci recording 100% compliance with Beachwatch criteria for both indicators during the 2008-2009 summer season. This result is an improvement on the 2007-2008 summer season, when only 13 of the 18 beaches monitored complied 100% with guidelines for both bacteria.
Overall, Illawarra beaches performed very well, with the greatest improvement in enterococci compliance recorded at Bellambi Beach, up by 19 percentage points from the previous summer season. Improvements in compliance were also recorded at Bulli, Belambi, Corimal and Surf Beach, Kiama beaches.
Entrance Lagoon Beach and North Wollongong beaches were the only sites where enterococci compliance was down from the previous season, falling by five and six percentage points respectively. However, faecal coliform compliance at Entrance Lagoon Beach improved by ten percentage points from the previous summer’s results to record 100% compliance.
Illawarra's cleanest beaches
The Illawarra's cleanest beaches were Austinmer, Thirroul, Bulli, Woonona, Bellambi, Corrimal, Wollongong City, Coniston, Fishermans, Port Kembla, Warilla, Shellharbour, Boyd's Jones, Bombo, Surf Beach (Kiama) and Werri.
Wollongong City Council beaches
Faecal coliform compliance
All 11 Wollongong City Council beaches recorded 100% compliance with Beachwatch water quality criteria for faecal coliforms (Figure 16). These results are slightly higher than the previous summer season, when nine of the 11 sites recorded perfect compliance. Compliance at Bulli and Corrimal beaches improved by ten percentage points from the previous summer.
Enterococci compliance
Ten of the 11 Wollongong City Council beaches monitored for enterococci complied 100% with Beachwatch criteria for this indicator during summer 2008-2009. Good compliance was also recorded at North Wollongong Beach (94%). Bellambi Beach improved by 19 percentage points, Bulli improved by 16 percentage points and Corrimal improved by ten percentage points.
Shellharbour Council beaches
Faecal coliform compliance
All three Shellharbour Council beaches complied with Beachwatch criteria for faecal coliforms 100% of the time (Figure 16).
Entrance Lagoon Beach recorded an improvement in compliance, with an increase of ten percentage points from summer 2007-2008.
Enterococci compliance
Two of the three Shellharbour Council beaches also complied with Beachwatch criteria for enterococci 100% of the time (Figure 16).
Entrance Lagoon Beach performed well below the other Shellharbour Council beaches, complying just 52% of the time with the enterococci criteria.
Kiama Council beaches
Faecal coliform compliance
Kiama Council beaches were among the cleanest in the Beachwatch Program, with all four beaches recording 100% compliance with faecal coliform criteria (Figure16).
Enterococci compliance
All four beaches recorded 100% compliance with enterococci criteria during summer 2008-2009. Surf Beach (Kiama) recorded an improvement in compliance, increasing by three percentage points from the 2007-2008 summer season.
Plans for improvement
Sydney Water operates three coastal sewage treatment plants in the Illawarra, located at Wollongong, Shellharbour and Bombo.
Bellambi and Port Kembla sewage treatment plants have been converted to specialised storm sewage treatment plants (SSTPs) that will store and treat excess wastewater flows during large wet weather events. At Port Kembla SSTP flows are treated to advanced primary level and flows at Bellambi SSTP are treated to a secondary level with disinfection. The plants do not operate during dry weather.
The Gerringong-Gerroa Sewage Treatment Plant is operated by Veolia Water under a 20-year design, build and operate contract.
The Illawarra Wastewater Strategy has been commissioned to deliver water quality improvements at a number of Illawarra beaches, particularly those near the Bellambi, Wollongong and Port Kembla sewage treatment plants.
The Strategy has ended dry weather discharge from the Bellambi and Port Kembla treatment plants and, through water recycling, it reduces total ocean discharge and saves about 7.3 billion litres of fresh water each year.
The Illawarra Wastewater Strategy involved:
- construction of a water recycling plant at Wollongong sewage treatment plant that produces at least 20 million litres of effluent treated by reverse osmosis to a high standard of quality each day. Under a 15-year agreement the recycled water is used at nearby BlueScope Steel.
- building of a pipeline to transfer wastewater from the Bellambi and Port Kembla catchments to Wollongong sewage treatment plant for high-level (tertiary and ultra violet) treatment and disinfection
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working to improve swimming conditions at Wollongong beaches by stepping up to tertiary treatment and significantly upgrading the existing ocean outfall
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converting Bellambi and Port Kembla sewage treatment plants to specialised SSTPs that store and treat wastewater during prolonged wet weather.
The Strategy is now largely commissioned.
Other components of the Illawarra Wastewater Strategy included the amplification of the Shellharbour Sewage Treatment Plant to meet the demands of population growth within the Albion Park and Shellharbour areas up to 2025. Works included the construction of additional grit and primary tanks to allow for increased flows, improvements in sewage treatment processes and modifications to the ocean outfall to improve effluent dispersion. The amplified sewage treatment plant and the ocean outfall works were completed in 2006.
Figure16: Compliance of Illawarra Beachwatch Sites Summer 2008-2009
Page last updated: 26 February 2011
