Due to the torrential rain and flash flooding we encountered on Thursday in Melbourne, the EPA announced that some Bayside beaches may be unsafe for swimming and have warned against swimming in parts of Port Philip Bay ahead of New Year’s Eve. This is due to poor water quality and the following beaches have been described as ‘may not be suitable for swimming’:
Frankston Coast Guard, Frankston Life Saving Club, Carrum Life Saving Club, Aspendale Life Saving Club, Beaumaris, Black Rock Life Saving Club, Sandringham, Brighton Life Saving Club, Elwood, St Kilda, South Melbourne Life Saving Club, Port Melbourne, Sandridge, Williamstown, Altona, Werribee South. * Beaches with a fair rating. Source: EPA Victoria.
EPA Group Manager of Applied Sciences Dr Anthony Boxshall said people should avoid swimming in all waterways and beaches after heavy rainfall to prevent illness for up to 48 hours. “Heavy rain and storms are can create a risk to the public as they can flood stormwater systems that then carry pollution that has built up in the drains into waterways,” he said. “In certain conditions they can be home to bacteria from faecal pollution that poses health risks to swimmers.”
Please remember that if it is unsuitable for us to swim in, then our K9 counterparts should also not be taking a sneaky dip. You can subscribe to SMS notifications when a poor water quality forecast is released at the Yarra & Bay website.
We unfortunately encountered a few ‘issues’ with the wild weather ourselves yesterday and want to congratulate those of our clients who had to pull some sneaky driving manoeuvre’s just to visit or collect their pets. Click here to view the video of our flooding.