Recreational water quality

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 15 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.

What Star ratings mean

Star rating Enterococci category (colony forming units per 100ml) Description
4 <41 Good - bacterial levels are safe for bathing
3 41–200 Fair - bacterial levels indicate an increased risk of illness to bathers - particularly vulnerable persons
2 201–500 Poor - bacterial levels indicate a substantially increased risk of illness to bathers
1 >500 Bad - bacterial levels indicate a significant risk of illness to bathers

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.

Last sampled Tuesday 3 December 2024
Swimming site
 Star rating
 Rathmines (F Jetty)  4
 Belmont (Belmont Baths Ross Street)  4
Speers Point Park Jetty
 4
Marks Point (Naru Beach) 3
Croudace Bay (baths at Valentine Crescent)
 4
Swansea (Penguins Salts Bay)
 4
Swansea (Pirrita Island)
 4
Cams Wharf (boat ramp)
 4
Catherine Hill Bay Beach
 4
Bolton Point (baths at Prospect Avenue)
 4
Toronto (Wharf Road)
 2
Kilaben Bay (Kilaben Park)
 4
Arcadia Vale (baths at Alexander Parade)
 4
Wangi (Dobell Park Jetty)
 4
Balcolyn (boat ramp at Shingle Splitters Point)
 4
Brightwaters (Brightwater Park Baths)
 4
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