Water quality testing regimen for NSW beaches

Kate Golden made this Government Information (Public Access) request to NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

The request was successful.

Dear NSW Office of Environment and Heritage,

I'm interested in how you determine that the local beaches where I swim are safe, and I'm happy to see all the data you've posted online.

I am requesting any documents that set out or discuss the adequacy of NSW's current beach water quality testing regimen, including the schedule, methods and thresholds for public alerts.

If possible, please treat this as an administrative/informal request. Otherwise, please proceed with my request as a formal information request under the Act.

If this request is unduly broad, please contact me to discuss how I can narrow it.

Thanks very much,

Kate Golden

Environment Line, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

Thank you for your enquiry. The Office of Environment and Heritage
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beaches), please ensure the following extended Reference Id appears
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ref:_00D90ZANp._5006F1IY9Tb:ref

References

Visible links
1. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/
2. http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/
3. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/whowea...

Environment Line, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

Hi Kate

The Beachwatch Program was established in 1989. There is information on
the program at [1]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

See also the 2014-2015 Annual Sate of the Beaches Report which has more
information on grading beaches for safety at
[2]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

Advice on water testing is on the Beachwatch site at
[3]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/... links
on the left hand side of that page to what is tested for, how testing is
done, sampling site information, sample analysis, and quality assurance.

Reporting regimes are outlined at
[4]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

The national recreational water quality guidelines for managing risk that
form the basis for Beachwatch testing are available at
[5]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

If the weblinks and other advice on the Beachwatch site do not provide
what you want, please be very specific in detailing your request.

Regards

Linda

Environment Line

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: Kate Golden [[FOI #2752 email]]
Sent: 17/11/2016 14:28
To: [NSW Office of Environment and Heritage request email]
Subject: Government Information (Public Access) request - Water quality
testing regimen for NSW beaches

Dear NSW Office of Environment and Heritage,

I'm interested in how you determine that the local beaches where I swim
are safe, and I'm happy to see all the data you've posted online.

I am requesting any documents that set out or discuss the adequacy of
NSW's current beach water quality testing regimen, including the schedule,
methods and thresholds for public alerts.

If possible, please treat this as an administrative/informal request.
Otherwise, please proceed with my request as a formal information request
under the Act.

If this request is unduly broad, please contact me to discuss how I can
narrow it.

Thanks very much,

Kate Golden

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[FOI #2752 email]

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ref:_00D90ZANp._5006F1IY9Tb:ref

References

Visible links
1. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...
2. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...
3. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...
4. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...
5. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

hide quoted sections

Hello Linda,

Link [3] was broken, but I managed to find most of what I wanted in the water quality guidelines PDF you mentioned. I am still reading through that document, and if I have more specific questions I'll get back to you. Thanks for your help!

Yours sincerely,

Kate Golden

Environment Line, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

Hi Kate

The link to the monitoring details seems to be working OK at this point
and was working when I sent the original email. You may wish to try again
at [1]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

Regards

Linda

Environment Line

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: Kate Golden [[FOI #2752 email]]
Sent: 22/11/2016 10:44
To: [NSW Office of Environment and Heritage request email]
Subject: RE: Government Information (Public Access) request - Water
quality testing regimen for NSW beaches [ ]

Hello Linda,

Link [3] was broken, but I managed to find most of what I wanted in the
water quality guidelines PDF you mentioned. I am still reading through
that document, and if I have more specific questions I'll get back to you.
Thanks for your help!

Yours sincerely,

Kate Golden

-----Original Message-----

Hi Kate

The Beachwatch Program was established in 1989. There is information on
the program at [1]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

See also the 2014-2015 Annual Sate of the Beaches Report which has more
information on grading beaches for safety at
[2]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

Advice on water testing is on the Beachwatch site at
[3]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/... links
on the left hand side of that page to what is tested for, how testing is
done, sampling site information, sample analysis, and quality assurance.

Reporting regimes are outlined at
[4]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

The national recreational water quality guidelines for managing risk that
form the basis for Beachwatch testing are available at
[5]http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

If the weblinks and other advice on the Beachwatch site do not provide
what you want, please be very specific in detailing your request.

Regards

Linda

Environment Line

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #2752 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This
message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This email is intended for the addressee(s) named and may contain
confidential and/or privileged information.
If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and then
delete it immediately.
Any views expressed in this email are those of the individual sender
except where the sender expressly and with authority states them to be the
views of the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.

PLEASE CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT BEFORE PRINTING THIS EMAIL

ref:_00D90ZANp._5006F1IY9Tb:ref

References

Visible links
1. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/beach/...

hide quoted sections

Thanks. It's working now!

Yours sincerely,

Kate Golden