Sorry Melbournians, you’ll have to find another way to cool off this summer as your beaches have been tainted with excrement.
Twenty-one of the 36 Port Phillip beaches the Environmental Protection Authority Victoria monitors were rated as unsuitable for swimming yesterday and will likely remain risky until the Australia Day long weekend.
EPA Victoria particularly warns against taking a dip this weekend.
“Forecasts will also likely remain poor to fair over the weekend as stormwater runoff often continues after heavy rain has stopped. Heavy rain poses the highest risk to the public when it follows extended periods of dry weather as the first flush of a stormwater system can carry most of the pollution built up in the drains.
“As a result, there may be a higher risk of illness to swimmers from increased bacterial levels in the water, which can lead to gastroenteritis,” the EPA wrote in a statement.
You can keep an eye on which beaches are suitable for swimming each day by checking the EPA’s Beach Report daily.
As a general rule of thumb though, avoid swimming near stormwater or rivers at least 24 hours after heavy rain.
