Melbourne's weather is testing at the best of times, but this summer has been particularly frustrating and, well, very wet. We were bracing ourselves for an El Niño weather event, with very hot and dry weather predicted, but so far we've had rain – and lots of it. While the wet weather here has certainly dampened our summer vibes, there has been far worse conditions across the country, with severe flash flooding in central Victoria, NSW and Queensland.
But hopefully we've seen the last of this deluge, so we can all get out, enjoy some summer activities and clock some solid beach time. But you may want to hold off just a little longer before going swimming, as authorities have warned that Melbourne's waters have been impacted by heavy pollution levels after so much rainfall over the holiday season.
The Environment Protection Authority's Beach Report has labelled many of Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay beaches as currently unsuitable for swimming, due to pollution caused by stormwater. Just a couple of days ago, all beaches around the bay were marked as having poor water quality, but now the EPA has upgraded most of them to having 'fair' quality, which is still considered as possibly being too polluted to safely swim in. Port Melbourne Beach has been most heavily impacted and is still labeled as definitely a no-go zone for swimmers.
The Yarra River has also been described by the EPA as having poor water quality and is currently unsafe to swim in as far out as Warburton. It's illegal to swim in the Yarra around the inner city suburbs downstream of Abbotsford anyway (not to mention it would be pretty gross), but if you're thinking about taking a dip in one of Melbourne's swimming holes further east along the river, it's not a good idea right now.
The water quality has been impacted by a variety of pollutants that come from urban surroundings – think anything that could accumulate on surfaces in a metropolitan area, like oils, fertilisers, pesticides and rubbish. Worst of all, stormwater from heavy rain can cause sewerage overflow to infiltrate our waterways. Yuck. The danger of swimming in this pollution is that the water is infected with E. coli bacteria, which can make you pretty sick (you can imagine what happens, we won't spell out the gory details).
Thankfully, this situation shouldn't last too much longer than a few days if the heavy rain holds off. Nature will do its thing and the water quality will improve, making it safe to go swimming once again. If you're unsure about whether water is safe for swimming, the EPA advises checking for signs of pollution like water flowing in from stormwater drains, murky water, bad smells and rubbish.
Luckily, there are plenty of outdoor pools across Melbourne where you can soak up the sun and swim safely in the meantime.