AFTER FLOODS AND STORMS. IS IT SAFE TO SWIM IN BEACHES. LAKES AND RIVERS OVER EASTER?
0After floods and storms. is it safe to swim in beaches. lakes and rivers over Easter?
It only took 15 minutes of swimming at Byron Bay's Belongil Beach. a week after February's devastating floods. for Jade to know something was amiss. 'The water looked okay. and other people convinced me it was fine. I but I felt a burning sensation so got out quickly.' she remembers. After a quick trip to the GP. Jade was confirmed to have an ear and vaginal infection. The doctor said the clinic was seeing significant numbers of people with ear. eye. skin and – yes – genital infections after swimming or surfing. These infections were caused by contact with polluted flood and storm water that had flowed into the sea. With rain and storms seemingly endless across Australia's east coast over the past six weeks. how do you know when it's safe to get back in the water? What's the deal with flood and stormwater? The dirty water is coming from two places. First. the heavy rainfall is sending larger than usual amounts of stormwater into drains and is not treated. or even necessarily even filtered. before it flows into creeks. rivers and oceans. Secondly. these creeks and rivers are then overflowing. with the flood water inundating what is usually dry land. Both stormwater (entering drains during heavy rainfall) and flood water (overflowing from rivers and lakes onto usually dry land) collect pollution from agriculture. urban environments and industry. 'Floodwater can contain hazardous substances. including raw sewage. chemicals and other contaminants.' says Paul Douglas. the director of the North Coast Public Health Unit in NSW. Extreme events — like the recent floods — can cause longer term problems for waterways. A water treatment plan in the Lismore area was damaged beyond repair during the recent floods and is now sending four megalitres of raw sewage each day into the area's waterways and eventually out to sea. Will I get sick if I swim? Pollution becomes diluted as flood and stormwater flows through rivers and into the sea. but the impact remains significant. Testing levels of Enterococci or E. coli bacteria is one way to check water quality. The organism is typically found in the poo of virtually all birds and mammals. including humans. 'While Enterococci and E. coli are not typically a health risk in and of themselves. they're a useful indicator of faecal contamination in the water.' says Dr Craig Evans from the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at The University of Newcastle. 'Faeces often contains other organisms that do represent a health risk.' If you accidentally swallow a mouthful of water while swimming or surfing. bacterial or viral organisms in the dirty water can cause diarrhoea type illnesses. And if these organisms reach parts of the body where they don't normally belong. like ears. eyes or skin cuts. infection can set in. Agh! How do I find water quality test results? In NSW. local councils carry out water testing of rivers. harbours and oceans. The testing is usually in conjunction with Beachwatch. a Department of Planning and Environment program based on guidelines from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Tom McAully Rix. an environmental officer with Ballina Shire Council. explains that river or sea water is collected from popular swimming spots. Samples are taken at knee depth. sealed in 250ml jars and popped into an esky with ice before being sent off for testing. There are several ways to report results. One popular method is a star rating based on a scale of one to four. Water samples that receive one or two stars on the scale indicates an increased risk of illness for everyone. Three stars shows an increased risk. especially for those with lower immune function. the elderly and young children. Four stars indicates the water has safe levels of bacteria. Another method used to report water quality is a daily pollution forecast that is popular in the greater Sydney area including the Hunter. Central Coast and Illawarra. The forecast. based on the most...
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