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Illawarra home to state's cleanest beaches

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Oct. 8, 2013, 4:07 a.m.

Fishermans Beach, an unpatrolled beach, was one of eight Wollongong beaches graded as very good in the State of the Beaches 2012-13 report.

The water quality at Illawarra beaches is among the best in the state, according to a report released to coincide with the start of the summer swimming season.

All 13 Wollongong beaches monitored for the annual State of the Beaches 2012-13 report were graded "very good" or "good" in 2012-13, giving the council area a 100 per cent success rate.

That is well above the state average, with 81 per cent of swimming locations reviewed across the state achieving very good or good gradings.

Only three beaches were reviewed in the Shellharbour council area and while Warilla and Shellharbour beaches were graded as very good, the water quality at Entrance Lagoon Beach was "poor" meaning swimming should be avoided for three days after heavy rain.

However most lake/lagoon sites did not fare well in the report compared to ocean beaches, as when the entrances to the ocean are closed they can become a collection point for stormwater runoff.

The "poor" grading didn't bother visitors to Entrance Lagoon Beach over the long weekend, with the sheltered area a favourite among families and other beachgoers.

The Razov family from south-west Sydney are regular visitors to the region, and this is one of their top sandy spots.

"It's perfect for the kids as there's no big waves and it's fairly shallow so they can splash around and enjoy themselves," mum Michelle Razov said.

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Illawarra home to state's cleanest beaches

Our beaches are great, government report says

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Topics: beaches, state of the beaches report

THE NORTH Coast's oceanside beaches have once again scored 'good' to 'great' marks in the annual State of the Beaches report, but Richmond Valley has trumped Ballina and Byron Shire when it comes to river swimming.

The report, commissioned each year by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, grades all public beaches for water quality in each local government area on the NSW coast.

This year, Byron achieved a combined score of 91%, Ballina 60%, and Richmond Valley 100%.

It was the inclusion of new river beaches into the report which let down Ballina's total score, particularly those in Shaws Bay and parts of Lake Ainsworth.

Shaws Bay West and Shaws Bay North were both graded as poor, with "a number of potential faecal contamination sources, including stormwater and discharge from the Richmond River", and increased enterococci levels after rainfall. Shaws Bay East scored a 'good' overall rating. Lake Ainsworth West and East beaches also received a 'poor' rating.

Ballina's winning beach was Seven Mile Beach at Lennox Head - rated very good - while Shelly and Lighthouse beaches were also rated 'good'.

Byron beach lovers can celebrate, as every single ocean beach from New Brighton to Broken Head was graced with a 'very good' rating.

But Simpsons Creek at Brunswick Heads was graded 'poor' - with enterococci levels often exceeding the safe swimming limit after only minor rainfall. The popular Torakina beach received a 'good' rating, as it can be susceptible to minor pollution from the Brunswick.

But it was Evans Head's four beaches which were the standout winners in the report, getting top marks - for the fourth year in a row.

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Our beaches are great, government report says

Sydney's cleanest beaches downgraded

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AAP Some of Sydney's prime swimming spots have had their water quality ratings downgraded.

Pollution on Sydney's beaches is not due to job cuts or untreated waste water being pumped into the ocean, Sydney Water says.

The latest State of the Beaches report released on Sunday found that the water quality at formerly top-ranking beaches has dropped over the past year.

While 81 per cent of swimming locations reviewed across the state achieved very good or good gradings, only eight Sydney beaches are rated as very good - down from 15 last year.

The NSW opposition blamed the drop in water quality on job and budget cuts at Sydney Water.

It also pointed to a record number of bypasses at waste-water treatment plants.

"We are returning to the bad old days when it was unsafe to swim on the beaches due to overflows," opposition water spokesman Walt Secord said in a statement.

"The O'Farrell government cannot blame rain as NSW has experienced its warmest January to September period on record. NSW has had its mildest winter in more than 150 years."

But Sydney Water rejected the comments, saying they were untrue.

"The Beachwatch 2013 Report released today shows that 37 out of 38 ocean beaches in Sydney were graded as good or very good, despite a wet summer in 2012/13, which is an outstanding result," Sydney Water said in a statement.

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Sydney's cleanest beaches downgraded


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