Port Stephens Council
Ocean beaches: Birubi. Estuarine sites: Little Beach, Dutchmans (Dutchies) Beach, Bagnalls Beach and Georges Reserve. Tidal pool: Lemon Tree Passage and Karuah Tidal Pool. For details see 08472Portstephens.pdf, 319 KB.
Local government area description
The Port Stephens Council area borders the Central Coast to the south and the Mid North Coast to the north. It covers an area of 861 square kilometres and has a population of more than 61 000.
Port Stephens is an important tourist and recreational destination owing to the natural beauty of the area, with numerous coastal beaches, waterways and rural areas. The area also supports agriculture, manufacturing, and fishing and oyster industries (Port Stephens Shire Council 2006).
Program outline
Seven swimming locations were monitored in Port Stephens: an ocean beach (Birubi Beach), four estuarine swimming sites (Little Beach, Bagnalls Beach, Georges Reserve and Dutchmans Beach) and two tidal pools (Karuah Tidal Pool and Lemon Tree Passage). For details see (08472Portstephens.pdf, 319 KB)
Faecal coliform and enterococci samples were collected between October 2007 and April 2008 at all swimming locations.
Faecal coliform and enterococci levels were assessed against the NHMRC (1990) swimming water quality guidelines to determine suitability for swimming. It should be noted that the five samples necessary to calculate compliance were not collected in all months. In months with only four samples, the closest sample in time from an adjacent month was ’borrowed’ in order to provide the five data points required.
Only three samples were collected during April 2008; this was insufficient to calculate compliance with the NHMRC swimming water quality guidelines.
Monitoring was also conducted during the 2004–2005, 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 summer swimming seasons (DEC 2006a and 2006b, DECC 2007). Hunter Water also conducts monitoring at four additional ocean beaches in the Port Stephens Council area (Zenith, Box, Fingal and One Mile) as part of the Beachwatch Program. These data are available in annual State of the Beaches reports from 1996 onwards. Information is also provided as weekly star ratings in local newspapers and on Hunter Water Corporation’s website.
Port Stephens Council issued a number of joint media releases with DECC during the summer swimming season to provide the community with information on water quality at the beaches in the partnership program.
Rainfall
Rainfall data presented in the timeseries plots were obtained from the Bureau of Meteorology’s gauge at Nelson Bay.
Ocean beaches
Birubi Beach complied with NHMRC (1990) swimming guidelines in all six months (Figure 7), with generally low levels of indicator bacteria recorded over the monitoring period.
Similar results were obtained during the 2004–2005, 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 summer swimming seasons (DEC 2006a and 2006b, DECC 2007). For details see 08472Portstephens.pdf, 319 KB.
Estuarine swimming sites
Compliance at the estuarine swimming sites was also very high. Bagnalls Beach, Dutchmans Beach, Georges Reserve and Little Beach all complied with the NHMRC (1990) swimming water quality guidelines in all six months (Figure 7). Bacterial levels at these sites were generally low throughout the monitoring period. For detals see
Tidal swimming pools
Karuah Tidal Pool and Lemon Tree Passage also complied with the NHMRC (1990) swimming water quality guidelines in all six months (Figure 7). A similarly high level of compliance was recorded at both sites in the previous three summer seasons (DEC 2006a and 2006b, DECC 2007).
Low levels of bacteria were generally measured at both sites during the monitoring period. For details see 08472Portstephens.pdf, 319 KB.
Figure 7: Summary of compliance with NHMRC (1990) microbiological guidelines for swimming at Port Stephens Council swimming sites during the 2007–2008 summer swimming season
Page last updated: 26 February 2011
