Central Coast Council has welcomed the release of the NSW ‘State of the beaches’ report, with 93% of our ocean beaches receiving a good or very good quality rating for 2018-2019.

The annual report uses the Beachwatch results to rate designated ocean and estuarine swimming sites across the state.

Mayor Lisa Matthews said the report shows Central Coast beaches to be in good condition overall.

“Most of our ocean beaches have received a Good or Very Good rating for swimming water quality, which is great news for our community,” Mayor Matthews said.

“It is also great to see many local sites showing improvements in water quality over recent years, with the report noting Council management actions are likely improving water quality at these sites.

“Many residents will be pleased to see Terrigal Beach has improved and received a Good rating for the reporting year. While this is welcome news, we must remember the sampling year was relatively dry and water quality concerns remain for Terrigal Beach.

“Council remains committed to working through the Terrigal Catchment Audit to pinpoint any potential pollution sources and continue to improve the water quality in the area.”

Sites that have shown improvement in the 2018-19 year include:

• Terrigal Beach
• Avoca Beach
• Avoca Lagoon
• Cockrone Lagoon
• MacMasters Beach
• Killcare Beach
• Pearl Beach rockpool
• Pretty Beach baths.

Council’s Acting Director Environment and Planning, Brett Sherar said the results also allowed Council to pinpoint areas for improvement.

“Two additional catchment audits, similar to the one in Terrigal, are already underway in response to the poor rating at Toowoon Bay and Cabbage Tree Bay rockpool,” Mr Sherar said.

“These audits will allow us to understand where any pollution may be coming from and to make improvements to ensure water quality in these areas improve in the future.

“Despite improvements within the estuarine sites, we acknowledge that these sites also fall within the poor category.

“Due to the nature of water movement in our estuaries, these sites are not as well flushed as the ocean beaches, meaning the time taken to recover, especially after rainfall, is longer than for open ocean beaches.

“Council advises residents to check the Beachwatch website for the latest results before choosing to swim in these locations.”

For more information on the state of the beaches report visit the NSW Government's State of the Beaches web site.

For more information on the Terrigal water quality audit, including comprehensive videos explaining the audit program visit our Terrigal Catchment Audit webpage.