The Yarra River and its tributaries have consistently recorded levels of faecal contamination (E.Coli) up to hundreds of times the recommended safe levels.
The safe level of faecal contamination in water is defined by the State Environment Protection Authority’s SEPP (State Environment Planning Policies) and by the Australian and New Zealand Environment & Conservation Council (ANZECC) as 200 organisms per 100 millilitre (200orgs/100ml).
Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) program Yarra Watch provides recreational water quality monitoring information for the Yarra River. Its reports are updated weekly. Yarra Watch divides the river into three sections, with four monitoring stations in each:
Upper Yarra – Click here to view the last three month’s E.coli readings.
Millgrove
Launching Place
Healesville
Coldstream
Middle Yarra – Click here to view the last three month’s E.coli readings.
Warrandyte
Templestowe
Heidelberg
Kew
Lower Yarra – Click here to view the last three month’s E.coli readings.
Abbotsford
South Yarra
Southgate
Docklands
Further, Melbourne Water produces a yearly report ‘Annual Water Quality Factsheets for Melbourne Water Water Quality Long Term Monitoring Sites (sic)’. Click here to view latest report.
The report contains a series of readings from the smaller rivers and creeks around metropolitan Melbourne. Some of these readings are far above the accepted level of 200 organisms per 100 millilitres of E.coli.
Page 18 of the above report shows the E.coli levels in the Yarra River’s catchment. This list of water readings shows the smaller rivers and creeks in metropolitan Melbourne are a filthy disgrace with many little better than sewers as indicated by the massive levels of measured faecal pollution.
Labor has repeatedly promised to clean up the Yarra River, but after nearly ten years in power and $300 billion in revenue, it is clear that John Brumby has given up on trying to fix it.
As far back as July 2006 John Thwaites has said he doesn’t expect the Lower Yarra will ever be fit for swimming. (Click here for a Channel 7 news clip and click here for a Channel 2 news clip from 9 July, 2006).
The Auditor-General’s Report into Protecting our Environment and Community from Failing Septic Tanks (page 39) found:
“Failing septic tanks … degrade the quality of surface (rivers, lakes and streams) and ground waters. The polluting effect of failing septic tanks can be assessed by chemically and biologically analysing waters samples with the most common tests being for bacteria (such as E.coli), nutrients (such as phosphorus and nitrogen) and biochemical oxygen demand. Temperature and flow are also useful indicators for monitoring wastewater impacts”. Click here to view entire report (5.59Mb).
The Report also found (page 54) that “the approaches taken by DSE [Department of Sustainability and Environment], local governments and the EPA do not ensure the public health, environmental and amenity risks related to failing septic tanks are adequately identified, assessed, prioritised and treated”.
It is unlikely that the pollution problem in the Yarra River will ever be resolved until failing septic tanks are replaced.
The Liberal Nationals Coalition took a clear vision and plan to clean up the Yarra to the 2006 State Election but Labor still has no idea what to do.
