Council tests river water quality

Monday, 25 March 2019

The Nepean River is naturally an important focus for the Penrith community and visitors looking for somewhere to play, exercise and socialise.

During our hot summer days it might be tempting to cool off in the river, but is it clean enough to swim in?

With the exciting improvements to the river precinct planned under the Our River Masterplan, there is the potential for more people to enjoy getting out on the water. So the question is an increasingly important one.

Penrith Mayor Ross Fowler OAM said the health of the local community and of local waterways including the Nepean River is very important to Council.

“We have established a Recreational Water Monitoring Program to collect data so we will be better able to inform our community and visitors when it is unsafe to swim in future,” Cr Fowler said.

“Ideally what we want to achieve is a grading system for the Nepean River similar to the NSW Beachwatch beach grading system. Our program aims to provide the community with accurate information on the cleanliness of the water so individuals can make informed decisions about the risks associated with water based recreation.”

Stormwater flows untreated from our City’s drains to our creeks and rivers, and can carry chemicals, minerals, and nutrients into the water. There can be a significant difference in water quality before and after rain.

Council’s Recreational Water Monitoring Program includes weekly bacteria (enterococci) testing at Tench Reserve, Penrith Weir and Devlin Road, Castlereagh in the warmer months. Results are assessed applying National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines to provide a guide on the suitability of sites for swimming.

Council officers also completed a sanitary survey in accordance with the national guidelines to assign a “sanitary inspection category.” This involved identifying all sources of potential contamination that might affect the water quality, such as stormwater drains, native animals, sewage leaks from Sydney Water’s infrastructure network, local Sewage Treatment Plants, septic tanks and boating activities. The results from the sampling combined with the sanitary inspection category allow Council to assign a “river grade” and provide residents with better information on the public health risk posed to water users.

A minimum of 100 samples need to be taken before the data is considered reliable, but the results from the last two and a half years suggest that water quality at these sites is generally good, except immediately after rain. Once Council achieves our 100 samples, our website will be updated to include a section on Recreational Water Quality.

Water quality can change on any given day and contamination can occur at any time, even during dry weather. If unsure about local water quality conditions, contact Council on 4732 7777.

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Monday, 25 March 2019.