In response to middle Howrah Beach downgrading to “Poor” and Howrah East (Silwood Avenue) downgrade to “Fair” as a result of the Derwent Estuary Recreational Water Quality program Annual Report last year, investigations into water quality at Howrah Beach have been accelerated with pleasing progress made in accordance with council’s developed strategy for the area.

Investigations at Howrah Beach revealed the stormwater catchment as the primary source of contamination and bacterial levels were far higher in the sand around the stormwater outfalls, than across the wider beach area.

The recently released Derwent Estuary Recreational Water Quality program Annual Report 2021/2022 presents the results of the 2021-22 season and includes information on Clarence City Council’s beaches and sampling results, as well as explaining council’s response to the risk classifications of the sampling sites.

The downgrade of Bellerive West to “Fair” provides an opportunity and impetus for council to focus investigations on Bellerive Beach and its respective catchment. This will involve Council Officers surveying the stormwater network and identifying cross connections from sewer, as well as compromised parts of the stormwater where sewage can infiltrate into the stormwater.

Council will continue to work with Taswater following the collaboration with the work undertaken in the Howrah catchment since August 2021.

Council is well positioned to respond to this decline in water quality due to the work which has been undertaken in Howrah over the last 2 years and the Stormwater Investigations Officer role that was appointed to council in August 2021.

Recreational water quality signage at Bellerive Beach West will be changed to “Fair” prior to December 2022.

You can read the Derwent Estuary Recreational Water Quality program Annual Report 2021/2022 here: www.derwentestuary.org.au/assets/Derwent_Estuary_RWQ_Report_2021-22.pdf.