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
Thank you for your enquiry. The Office of Environment and Heritage
(OEH) and the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) will respond
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References
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1. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/
2. http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/
3. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/whowea...
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
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
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