Our popular swimming spots are sampled weekly between November and April as part of Council's Recreational Water Quality Monitoring program.
We collect samples from a beach site and 13 lake sites, which are tested for enterococci bacteria. The presence of enterococci is an indication that the water may contain harmful bacteria or viruses.
Water quality information for our other ocean beaches can be found at Beachwatch.
A swimming site can receive between one and four stars depending on its performance that week.
Water quality at our ocean beaches and Lake Macquarie bathing sites is typically good, however the common sources of faecal pollution are stormwater and sewerage overflows that may occur during wet weather. For this reason is it recommended to avoid swimming for several days after heavy rain, particularly if you see water is discoloured by stormwater runoff.