By Callum Ludwig
Hot summer sun finally appears to have arrived in 2023, with temperatures in the thirties seeing swimming spots highly sought after.
The Yarra River is the nearest natural water source for many Yarra Ranges residents, but experts are warning that the river’s quality through Healesville and the Upper Yarra can be poor.
Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) Chief Environmental Scientist, Professor Mark Taylor said better weather will help the improving trend but they still advise people to self-assess.
“If the water looks discoloured, or is foaming heavily, or there is odour; if you’re near a drain, river or creek outlet and there’s been rain in the last 48 hours, pick another day to go for a swim,” he said.
“Check the EPA Beach Report and Yarra Watch for twice daily updates.”
The key contaminating concern for the Yarra River is the presence of E coli, of which the accepted safe swimming level is less than 260 organisms per 100ml. According to data from the EPA’s Yarra Watch, both Healesville and Launching Place are considered to have poor water quality in the Yarra River based on historical data, while a bit closer to Melbourne, Warrandyte is generally considered good quality with a low likelihood of stormwater pollution.
Professor Taylor said we have flood waters and some very heavy rainfall from October to December 2022 to blame for poor water quality at the moment.
“October and November 2022 rainfalls were very much above average. But the good news is that we’re expecting an improvement in the weather and with it a return to our usual high levels of water quality performance in the bay,” he said.
Professor Taylor also said swimming in poor water could cause skin irritations or gastro, and if you did feel ill after swimming consider contacting a health professional.`
On October 27 2022, right after the Yarra Ranges were particularly smashed by flooding events in Lilydale, Seville, Coldstream, Yarra Glen and Yarra Junction, an astonishing 6500 E coli value was recorded at Launching Place, as well as 5200 in Healesville and Warrandyte. These are 25 and 20 times more than the agreed safe level.
The latest available recorded data from 14 December 2022 indicates these levels have drastically reduced thankfully, with Launching Place actually having the lowest value of all four sites (Launching Place, Healesville, Warrandyte and Kew) at 500. Healesville recorded 2400 and Warrandyte 1100.
The last time the EPA’s data indicated any site on the Yarra River below the accepted threshold was in the 7 December 2022 readings, where they all had levels below 100.
To find out the water quality rating at any given time, visit www.epa.vic.gov.au/for-community/summer-water-quality/water-quality-across-victoria.
