Sampling at Ballina Shire Council’s water sampling locations are all now in the ‘Good’ category meaning that ‘bacterial levels are safe for bathing according to national water quality guidelines (NHMRC) guidelines’.
However, caution is recommended when swimming with the council saying that swimmers should make assessments for visible signs of pollution should be made prior to entering the water.
‘Conditions could be variable and will depend on tides and further rainfall received.’
Conditions at Lighthouse Beach are good but the council’s website states that ‘Depending on tide and other factors there is a risk that water quality may be highly variable at different times of the day’.
Similarly for Lake Ainsworth there ‘may also be experiencing impacts on water quality due to submerged facilities within close proximity to Lake Ainsworth’.
Ballina Council’s monitoring program only checks microbial contamination levels and does not monitor other pollutants such as oils, fuels and other toxic materials.
For the latest information https://ballina.nsw.gov.au/beach-health.
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