"Never been more important" in a changing climate: Beachwatch funded for another 2 years

As the effects of climate change are felt across Australia, it’s in the rising sea levels, ongoing coastal erosion and devastating algal blooms that this damage has materialised. 

In Australia we have a variety of programs and institutions — such as the Australian Energy Emissions Monitor, Bureau of Meteorology, and CSIRO — whose purpose it is to monitor our natural environment and the effects of climate change on it. In Sydney, the program responsible for monitoring our water quality is Beachwatch, which has just had its funding extended for two years and is a program advocates say has “never been more important.”

What is Beachwatch?

With a name like Beachwatch, you wouldn’t be remiss to mistake this government program for an 80s TV show. However, this is in fact a vital service for anyone who enjoys the water around Sydney. 

The primary goal of the program is to allow people to “make informed decisions about when and where to swim”. This is done by providing up-to-date data about the water quality of beaches, baths, and other bodies of water across Sydney, measuring samples for levels of sewage and pollution, as well as water conductivity and heat. 

All this data culminates into a simple, user-friendly map which indicates whether water across Sydney is suitable for swimming on a scale of one to four stars. 

What is going on with its funding?

In July 2022, the previous NSW government moved to establish a state-wide Beachwatch program providing centralised coordination and data management, but would also require local councils to conduct their own sampling and analysis of water. Since then, a long period of consultation has taken place, in which Sydney councils and community groups expressed their strong opposition to the proposal.

Last month, it was announced that the move would not take place, with a media release saying “the former government’s proposal to change funding for Beachwatch would be a challenge for Sydney councils who have the vast majority of swim sites.”

However, this funding has only been extended for another two years. In 2027, there are no guarantees the program will remain state-funded.

How does this affect you?

If you live on the North Shore, it’s likely that you are closest to harbour swimming areas and beaches: these include Northbridge Baths, Greenwich Baths, Woodford Bay, or Davidson Reserve, nearly all of which received an annual water quality rating of poor.

Harbour areas such as these are often more polluted due to increased stormwater flow and weaker tidal flushing. For swimmers frequenting these areas, the reliability and accuracy of Beachwatch as a service is paramount. 

“Never been more important”

For some groups, the promise of Beachwatch funding for two more years isn’t enough. When the decision for funding to be maintained was announced, Surfrider Foundation Australia pushed for the program to be expanded and improved, testing for a wider range of contaminants and delivering stronger laws for sewage overflow.

In a statement, the group said that proper testing has “never been more important in the face of growing threats from climate change.” 

“The increase in severe weather events, rainfall intensity and infrastructure damage is causing sewage overflows into our waterways and ocean, whilst warming sea temperatures will increasingly cause the incidence of toxic algae blooms, all of which is harmful to public health.”

Intense weather events, such as the bombogensis storm experienced across NSW last week, are a contributing factor to poor water quality and have also been directly linked to climate change.

According to the NSW Government, sea level rise, extreme storms, and warmer waters are all listed as ways in which “climate change is causing changes to our weather and oceans which can reduce the quality of NSW water resources”.

Image Credit: Beachwatch, Unsplash